Hosts of the Seraphim
by Aleeanna Windstorm
Summary: My favorite remnant- Yazoo is alive and literally kicking. He is now in search of his brothers, who are a little larger in number OCs , and while trying not to attract attention, he manages to stumble onto some familiar Turks... Will have pairings later
1. So much for staying off the radar

Disclaimer : I do not own the characters from Final Fantasy Advent Children. I wish I could own Yazoo but... oh well!

_**Hosts of the Seraphim  
**_

Sometimes it feels like it happened to someone else… Maybe it was just a story I heard… But I can't believe they're gone… They can't be… So I come here often, to the ruins of old Midgar, next to that same building that collapsed with me, Loz and big brother still on it… still fighting…Even though it makes no logical sense – that weird woman didn't throw me back here. She made the Lifestream spit me out in that Ancient city – Ajit's who's to say where she could have thrown the others?

But then again – who's to say I want to know the definite truth?

We escaped 10 years ago – just children 10,11,12 years old – from the facility beneath the Nibelheim reactor. It was cold, and we had nothing on but those silly little lab gowns that did nothing but let the freezing wind get even better access to our shivering bodies. I told Kira that it was not a good idea to get separated, but as she gave the command with her hand, her eyes fell coldly on me, saying : "You've said enough, assassin…". For what I know… I am grateful to her with my life, for she lived up to her training as a squad leader.

Many of us didn't make it to the perimeter fence. The great brains decided it would be a disaster for us to get to the outside world… So they gave the great gun-wielding chuckleheads permission to terminate on sight.

Longest goddamned night in my entire life…All I could think about was – where are the others? Is Kadaj ok? Where did Loz go? Did he beat that guard? Where are Jade, Kira, Trip and Kaisha? Somewhere along the way all of that jumbled inside my confused and exhausted mind, and it gave the big "timeout" sign to my whole body… right in the middle of the road…

Of course, the great city of Midgar wouldn't give a flying fuck about a bunch of mutant alien- clones running away from a top secret facility. But oh, how they got to care when a year ago I decided to round up their children and take off with them on the back of the truck I stole…Stupid egocentric humans…But that's what big brother Sephiroth would say. Personally, I don't give a flying fuck about them either. All that matters now is finding the others…

It always did… Our grand-master plan – find Mothers cells, receive them and initiate the call for the Reunion- all of ours would come, and we would live happily ever after, as a family… Cool fairytale, huh? Baaaaaaaaaang… Reality check- the Reunion was a hoax planted in our naïve minds by dear big brother Sephiroth, may he rot in his holiness for the rest of forever in the deepest pits of hell. Amen.

But then again the great city of Midgar knows that part of the story pretty damn well… What they probably don't know is how little old me crawled out of the lake in Ajit and made it back to Edge, for dear big brother Cloud to wonder and freak out.

And then he did the weirdest thing in the whole friggin' Universe… Maybe it's some good guy gracious and giving hero complex, I wouldn't know, but he kinda gave me a second chance…And then he left for Kalm with that gal of his and the kids. Good for him!

So now I'm kinda layin' low, stayin' off the radar and all that jazz. And since the "good" scientists back at ShinRa corp were smart enough to figure that for deep underground operations soldiers who were easily distinguishable by their silver hair and catlike eyes weren't actually good cover agents, I can now benefit from the fruit of their work. Mainly- making my hair black with the flick of my hands over it, well mostly black, my fringe seems to disagree with change. And as for the eyes, I learnt to contract my pupils into slits only when serious watching was needed. Didn't change my name though- because it means a lot to me, mostly because it marks my freedom, and besides, I don't believe anyone heard it. Had to make an adjustment though – Yazoo Dale.

- Strife Delivery service – the young man flashed the sector pass in front of the bored-out-of-his-wit guard and he grunted in reply, making room for his bike to go through.

After a short ride /thank whoever invented motorcycles/, he was entering the building he needed to deliver to. "Oh, great, it's an all-window elevator…Not that there's much to look at…They say that before the Nibelheim reactor blew up, and some other accidents occurred / mainly caused by big brother Sephiroth/, Midgar was a blossoming city, all mako wired, energized, happy… But then when that Meteor came real close and the Earth made kaboom with the Lifestream as a weapon, all of it went to ruins. So now Midgar is just another broken force, looking for handouts and wondering why…I don't care much about that though – if these people have enough time to complain, they should have enough time to set things right."

- Strife Delivery service, signature, please – well, what do you know? Another bored citizen…

As she makes do with the paperwork, he stares out the window. When he's sure she isn't looking, he tilts his head a little, much like a cat would do and the pupils in his blue-green eyes slit, until he can focus without any difficulty a shiny little statue of Shiva on the last floor of the next door building. That seemed like a lovely catch. Head still to the side, he silently receives his papers back and walks off, making sure nobody can see his pupils returning back from catlike slits to human round ones.

*************************

- Alright, people! Trust in Real Chad to make you all rich sons of bitches. If my boy wins, you get screwed, but if he don't you all get free beers on me!

The bulky looking man with huge sunglasses /inside of a dark bar/, dark tanned skin and curly brown locks walked between the tables, bidding for bets, before returning to his seat on the bar, next to the stunning black-haired man with the silver fringe, who coldly observed the wall before him, covered in shelf after shelf of alcohol bottles.

- You in for a bet, Jimmy? – Real Chad held his gil-filled hand out before the bartender's face.

The man behind the bar felt hesitant for a moment, eyes flying from the brawny male, to the slender spaced-out creature, whose blue-green orbs looked like they were seeing right through everything. When the moment passed, the man called Jimmy placed his bet on Chad's waiting hand and snorted a bit, eyes still locked with the slimmer one in the chair right before him. Then he reached beneath the bar and picked up the stationary phone and put it on the bar, slamming it right beneath the spaced-out male's face, who by the way didn't in any way show any reaction to the movement, and pressed the redial button.

The awe-struck silence in the bar was only broken by the digital sound of the phone dialing – beep, beepbeep, beepbeepbeep, beep…

Slowly, obviously taking his sweet time, the black-haired, silver-fringed young man raised his chin in the air, long-lashed eyes closing halfway and he started:

- 0035929300646…- he stated, and his bewitching green eyes locked with Jimmy's shocked ones, who now looked like they were popping out of their sockets any time now.

The rest of the bar shook out of it's reverie and there were laughs, grunts, yells, but when the bartender pressed the display button, and the phone number checked out a 100% to what the spaced-out one offered, they exploded in a round of applause, every one of the guests shouting something like :"How the hell do you do that, man?".

- Yaz, my man, you are officially the bomb! – Real Chad laughed out, lifting his glasses to wipe some tears of mirth, staining the corners of his chocolate eyes.

- Hn, it's nothing… - the other male stated flatly, trying now almost desperately to avoid being choked by the not-so-tender embrace in which he found himself once Chad sat down next to him.

- Yazoo? – a female voice called from their right, breaking the boys' sweet moment of celebration.

The voice belonged to an incredibly beautiful petite blonde woman with large blue eyes, standing out in the whole bar like a precious peace of art would in a house, full of tasteless junk.

- Well, well, well… if it ain't the bitch who wailed… - Real Chad stood up, physically blocking his companion from the girl's view.

- I wasn't talking to you, gay boy… - her sweet voice turned venomous for a moment, before tuning back in to the gentle tones of her deep alt.- Yazoo, could we have a word?

- Like hell you could! I think you said enough the other night, even though your moth was kinda occupied with James' cock!- Chad ranted on, temper rising, and the urgency to protect his slender friend becoming more and more intense.

- Chill, Chad, - Yazoo's deep voice intervened, and with a hand to the brawny man's shoulders, he beckoned his friend to stand down from this fight. It wasn't his after all.

- Alrightey then! But you only got 5 minutes…bitch! – Chad turned on his heels and stormed out of the bar, as if the devil was after him.

The petite blonde allowed a grimace of irony to pass through her features, before they shifted back to a soft, alluring smile, and she took Chad's place next to Yazoo.

- Listen, Yazoo, I love you, you know I do… but you're so… difficult to deal with. You're beautiful as hell, people seem so naturally drawn to you, yet you are so distant… it's like you don't even care one little bit what happens around you… Like there's this deep dark thing going on behind that angel face of yours, that's like this barrier, and I just wanted so much to cross it, but…

The young man shifted a bit on his chair and turned his head to his ex-girlfriend. Tilting his neck a bit, his eyes grew wide suddenly and overdramatically when he began talking again:

- You know, Claudia, you're right! I am so glad that we're having this conversation, because now I understand that I was an insensitive jerk, who just couldn't grasp the idea of eternal love you so graciously bestowed upon my undeserving self! – he batted his lashes, further underlying his sarcastic tone.- Oh, could you ever forgive me?

- Hm… I see the perimeter defense system is still intact… Good night, Yazoo…- and in a swish of clothes and long hair, the beautiful girl was gone.

As soon as she disappeared from view, Chad came back, a sheepish grin on his face, obviously trying to read damage control from Yazoo's impassive face. Just as he was about to open his mouth and start his famous "girls-ain't-worth-it" talk however, his long-haired friend quietly asked:

- Chad, do you think I push people away?

Exhaling audibly, the brawny male slumped into the empty chair and swung his arm around his companion's slender, but strangely muscular shoulders:

- Tell ya somethin', Yaz... You're a down-ass male and a straight-up friend. And no bitchin' little whore can ever change that. She just don't deserve you, dude.

- Hn… - for a moment Yazoo let a relieved expression cross his handsome features.- So you don't think I'm this scary little sociopath, who just doesn't care about a thing?

- Not carrin' ain't always a bad thing ya know… Plus, you ain't no sociopath… more like a mystery… Which is a good thing of course! – he quickly offered.

- Of course… - Yazoo looked thoughtful for a moment, then all of a sudden, he threw his head back, shiny raven hair flying and started laughing. – Oh, you should have stayed, man…That was quite a … - beep. The long-haired young man stopped mid-sentence and pulled a phone out of his pocket. – It's me. Really now? I'll be right over.- he bolted out his chair as if struck by lightning and said to his bewildered friend.- I gotta roll. Catch you later!

- Hey, where are you going?

Yazoo turned around and stood behind Chad's chair to whisper slyly into his ear:

- It's a secret… You know us mystery guys.

With that said, he exited the bar and mounted his motorcycle. The night was beautiful, and he wasn't much of a sleeper, so he didn't mind coming home in the late-early hours. Especially when that man had called…

**********************************************************

This was by no means your typical private eye's office, with the Laundromat in the front, and the dim-lit excuse for a study in the back. But then again – was anything typical in this broken world?

- So if you have nothing why did you call me? – the silver-haired young man said, pacing the room with the slightest hint of annoyance. He was still comfortable enough to let the fat self-proclaimed private eye see him the way he really was, or rather – for what he really was. Or maybe it was just a psychological tactic to keep the man constantly warned about what and who he was dealing with. And naturally, what was most likely to happen to him, should he screw up this particular case.

- Well, I'm sorry, pretty boy, never heard of the Nibelheim reactor blowing up? Or the Meteor clashing with the Lifestream? The loss of energy did erase a lot of valuable information… And besides- you ain't giving me much to work with here… The other kids, I seriously doubt they are flashing silver hair in the wind and winking around with their pupils still stretched…

- And that woman?

- Nancy? Well, a last name could help for starters… Or anything more specific…

- She was nice… - the remnant's deep voice trailed off, as memories engulfed him.

That cold night, when they escaped. That one moment when he let his guard down, stressed, scared, cold and all alone. Everything was a little blurry, when he started to come to after collapsing right in the middle of the snow-covered road. He heard a voice, a female voice, that sounded soft and warm, but full of worry. He felt two slender hands picking him up and carrying him off to what looked like a pick-up truck. Yazoo remembered that number well… But what seemed to be his most vivid memory of that night, were the woman's eyes – so bright, so gentle, full of fear and … empathy. For the first time someone didn't regard him as a peace of meat to be treated, tested and indoctrinated. And what she said that night engraved itself in his young mind as the first ever kind words anyone had ever told him:

- Such a beautiful young boy… How could they do this to you?

- Nice… yeah… really helpful and descriptive, Mr. Dale… - the hoarse voice of the fat detective shook Yazoo out of his daydreaming.- But for that vague comment, I would need more clarification donations…

- Oh, you need more money do you now? – Yazoo snorted sarcastically. – Why am I not surprised to hear that?

- So we have an understanding? – after receiving an affirmative "hn" from his customer, the private eye grunted out. – Always a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Dale.

Without a word of goodbye or a second look, Yazoo turned his back to the fat detective and deep dark shadows danced around his head for a while until his hair turned almost completely black, safe for a few bangs in front of his face.

***********************************************************

Now the favorite part of the night for Yazoo was hunting time. And hunting time tonight was at the top floor of that building where he spotted the Shiva statuette earlier that day. He could easily fence this exquisite piece for fifteen grand, which should be more than enough to keep that rip off artist of a detective working on his case.

And because Yazoo enjoyed "hunting" very much, he had almost ritualized his preparations. He entered the building he delivered to earlier, climbed out to the very top and began strapping his ropes and climbing gear with amazing speed and precision. In a matter of minutes he was on the next building's top floor, that happened to be a rather luxurious penthouse.

Hn, strange… And what was even stranger was that apparently no security system was installed. Yazoo couldn't believe that such foolish people could still exist in these dangerous times. Oh well – it served his purpose, so he didn't give it a second thought. Snag it, bag it and tag it – that was the plan, and he did just that. However, on his way back he noticed the light in the next room to be on and he heard an all too familiar irritating voice:

- No, boss, nothing's happened, yo! We can handle this, you just let Tseng rest and tell him to take care of his overworked ass or I will come over there and fix him good, yo!

Oh, no… If irony wasn't abundant in his day already… He just had to stumble upon one of these newly arranged Turk quarters! Well, no worries, he just had to make one more turn around that wall and…

- Hey, you! – the deep masculine voice belonged to a man whose impressive built looked colossal compared to Yazoo's slender frame. He was aiming a stun gun at the young remnant, and although it was dark in the corridor and the man was wearing sunglasses, Yazoo was pretty sure he wouldn't miss.

What worked to his advantage however, was the fact that the giant was probably completely unaware that he was facing a genetically engineered half-alien killing machine, perfectly schooled and built for speed and agility far exceeding those of any human.

Yazoo let all thoughts float out of his mind as he let his body become a weapon. From his seemingly relaxed position in front of the brawny male, he leapt suddenly to the wall, made a couple of steps on it, just like an attacking cat, trying to fool her prey, and before the giant could realize what was happening, the gun had been effectively kicked out of his hand, which was now being turned behind his back, and with one final blow to the back of his neck, all went black for the dark-skinned man as he landed with a very loud thud to the floor.

This little commotion, although performed with great efficiency and style, got the attention of the other inhabitants of the penthouse. Therefore when Yazoo entered one of the nearest rooms in order to find a window to get out from, he was welcomed by a shocked shriek and barely dodged the lamp, thrown in his direction.

- It's ok, I'm just a thief… - he had no time to think over the fact that this didn't sound reassuring at all.

So the rooms weren't an option, he thought, and ran back into the corridor, aiming for the door he anticipated to be the exit. Almost there…

- Stop right there, yo! – a faint light lit behind him, barely illuminating the long corridor, but what caught his attention was the distinct click of a gun being loaded.- Well, well, well, little missy, not so hot when you're being caught, huh?

- Sorry to disappoint – Yazoo' s deep, completely male voice retorted. – However, I am just a long-haired guy… Who's in a bit of a hurry…

- Yeah, I saw that yo! Turn around – slowly! And drop that!

The young remnant obliged, letting his bag fall to the ground and reveal the statuette.

- Oh my, a thief with a taste! Hey, wait a second, - the redhead that now appeared before Yazoo, aiming a gun at him, narrowed his eyes to focus the other man better. – Rude, come here and tell me we haven't met this son of a bitch before! He looks so damn familiar, yo!

Amazing, Yazoo thought. Obviously there was a higher power at work here. A very bored one at that…Not only did he learn nothing new on his matters today, not only did he happen to stumble into a Turk hideout and have guns pointed at him, but he also happened to stumble upon the two Turks he knew all too well… The ones he and Loz fought once near that ShinRa monument. And this was the noisy one…

- Rude? Whatcha doin' , man, come here! Rude?

- If you're referring to the side of beef… - Yazoo drawled almost lazily. – He'll be fine. Give him a minute though…

The redhead's eyes shifted downwards, following the tilt of Yazoo's head and he saw his partner lying unconscious on the floor. Unconscious, not dead, because the minute the strange intruder was talking about passed, and the big guy came to with a start and found his way next to his partner.

- As I was sayin', Rude, look at this guy and tell me we didn't meet with his girly ass before!

- Listen, - Yazoo interrupted suddenly. – As much as I love to play famous pretty faces with you boys, I'm in a hurry, so…

Before the two men could react, the thief jumped above their heads and ran to the nearest window. As they swirled around instinctively, but still shocked enough not to fire, they saw him leap out of it, crushing the glass as he went...

**********************************************

Well, so much for the first chapter. This is my first ever fanfic and I'm still fumbling with the site's menus and controlls, but while I'm still orientating myself here, please review.

Thanks!


	2. The chase is on

_**The chase is on**_

It was early in the afternoon and the light of the sun, that was now descending over the horizon, shone through the broken window of the penthouse. The sounds that could be heard in the large living room, apart from the howling of the autumn wind, were a distinct tapping of a computer's keyboard, and the occasional intentional cough, meant to attract the attention of one particular redhead, causing the aforementioned sounds of tapping.

- Reno? – the dark-skinned man prompted, after several unfruitful attempts at catching the redhead's attention with a more subtle tactic.

- You should go make yourself some tea about that nasty cough, yo – the other man replied, blue eyes still glued to the computer screen which now showed a photo taken from a surveillance camera from the building across the street. The photo showed a slender, tall young man, with black hair, reaching partway down his back, and an almost white silver fringe, obscuring his eyes. He was dismounting his motorcycle.

- Reno, - the normally silent Turk started again, bracing himself for a long talk, by his standards. - Maybe you should give this up… - he was rewarded with a lifted red eyebrow. The larger man sighed and continued. – Don't you think that you are becoming… obsessed… with this … guy?

- Oh yeah? How do you figure?

- Well, I'm just saying that he may not turn out to be what you think him to be.

- You serious, yo? Did you take a GOOD look at him? – upon the nod he received from his partner, the redhead raised his voice a bit. – And you don't _even consider_ that he might look familiar? – the other one shook his head. – You serious, yo? That face… that girly figure… that deep mocking voice… I'm telling you it's that remnant whacko we fought by the ShinRa statue, yo! It has to be him!

- Yeah… right… Listen, Reno, the way you talk about him… Are you sure you're still chasing a potential, most probably dead, enemy, or a new potential piece of ass?

- What?!? Are you… - Reno's tirade was interrupted by the sound of the computer, that had just completed the search. – Hehe, you might wanna take that back, yo. Come here.

- Rude came closer and bent over his partner's shoulder to look at the screen. On it could be seen a huge red sign saying : "COMPLETE MATCH" and two photos. The one was the photo from before with the intruder from last night. The other one was rather unclear because it was taken by one of the rather neglected surveillance cameras on as building near the now ruined ShinRa monument. It showed however two very familiar faces that Rude had hoped, no Rude knew were long gone… The red circle of the match was around the face of the long- haired remnant with the long flapping leather coat.

- It can't be…

- Oh, but it is, yo! Now how about that apology?

- Wait, aren't we going to do something about this?

- Well, now that you ask, hehe…

******************************************************

"- S2 351 !

The voice sounded even colder from the speakers in the sterile white-tiled room. There wasn't anything in it safe for a chair, a table, and the single occupant – a small boy with gentle features, obscured by locks of silver, flowing just barely below his shoulders. The boy, dressed in a simple hospital gown, did nothing to show that he had in fact registered the cold voice.

- S2 351! Answer to your designation!

The child slowly lifted his head up, taking his time and directed his huge blue-green catlike eyes to the one-way glass, as if he was seeing right through it.

- Yazoo… - he muttered, the word slipping from his lips was barely above a whisper.

- What was that, 351?

- Yazoo… - the voice was soft, but way too deep for a boy of his age and built. – My name is Yazoo!

- Is it now, 351? And why is it "Yazoo"?

- Because… - the boy let his head hang low so that his bangs were once again obscuring his face. – Because that's the sound I'm gonna make when we get out of here! – the child suddenly screamed and leapt forward, over the table, and with and incredible speed and an even more unbelievable strength began to pound his little fists onto the glass. And even though it was enforced, the material cracked ever so slightly much to the shock of the scientists on the other side.

- S2 351! Seize this irrational behavior now and explain yourself or else! – the cold male voice came again.

- And just like that – as if a switch has been turned off, the boy slid off the glass. He remained there for a moment, however in the next, he was across the room, waving his tiny balled fists at the camera, next to the speaker.

- You hear that, one-eyed box? When I get out of here, that's the sound I'm gonna make – "Yazoooo" – he snapped his fingers. – Just like tha …

The rest of his sentence was interrupted when his body began to shake uncontrollably, from the shock of electricity that ran through the floor, right up his bare feet. All went black for the little boy as he slid to the tiles…"

- Yaz, what's keepin' ya, man? We're gonna be late and that little bitch will chop our fun sticks off!

- Be there… in a minute… - the young man in the bathroom tried real hard to conceal the shakiness in his voice.

He looked at himself in the mirror – the long silver hair, the catlike green eyes, the painful spasms running through his body, and the swirl of dark shades around him… This happened sometimes. Somewhere along the line, ShinRa's finest technology had screwed up, big time. That's why once a month these weird headaches and seizures would begin. They were the signal that his alien genes where trying to fight off his weaker, though more abundant, human genes.

The doctor he once talked to about this (and killed afterwards, of course, he couldn't risk the exposure) had told him that it was some hyperactivity of something or the other causing an autoimmune disease of some sort. It sounded way too full of medical nonsense for Yazoo to bother to remember. What he did remember, practical as he was, was that the seizures were caused by a deficit of natural stimulants in his blood. That meant that good stuff like candy, chocolate and sugar could very well help him through this. However, as his condition got graver, the concentration of stimulants in these foods became insufficient.

He reached a shaking hand to the drawer next to the sink, and opened the top one. He picked up a small container from it, popped the lid and pressed the bottle to his mouth, taking several of the pills down his throat.

Still shuddering violently, he ground his teeth together, so that he wouldn't have a chance to bite his tongue off before the shaking was over. As the convulsions started to slowly die down and lose their edge, he tried desperately to chase the bad lab-memories away and concentrated on getting prepared for the next day of work.

******************************************************

- Strife Delivery Service, eh? – the redhead chuckled a bit as he stood before the ex-Seventh heaven bar which was now transformed into a full blown headquarters for the largest delivery service firm in all of Gaia, perhaps. – And he started off as a slacker and a farm boy… - Reno muttered as he threw his cigarette on the street and stepped on it before entering the building.

Well, the interior was pretty much the same – noisy and smoke-filled. However only two tables remained, and the actual bar was partially reconstructed to look like an office box, where an all too familiar face was giving out orders and packages to all sorts of young people, teenagers, most of them homeless, or in that rebellious age where it would be better to stay away from them, not hire them to deliver stuff around. Jeez…

- Yo, Yuffie, was it? – Reno grinned his winner smile at the petite woman behind the bar.

- Are we having a jackass meeting here today, Turk? Because otherwise, as you can see, I don't have time for you right now… - the girl named Yuffie scowled at Reno's supposedly charming smile.

The Turk just sighed and placed his hands nonchalantly in his pockets. Some old habits die hard. AVALANCHE members die even harder… Reno could definitely testify to that.

- Nope, actually, I'm here on business…

- Cloud ain't here, don't know where he is, didn't leave a note…

- I'm not here about Cloud… - the redhead waved his hand at the girl's obvious lie. If Cloud wasn't running this show behind the curtains, it would have been Kisaragi Delivery Service, would it not? – I'm here about this guy – the Turk placed a photograph on the counter.

- Don't know him… - Yuffie started, perfectly covering her surprise at seeing the remnant freak's picture on the bar.

- You don't? Interesting… Cause I do believe that what's hanging from his neck is a Strife Delivery Service ID card…

- Sometimes our cards get stolen by idiots who need the extra access from idiots who don't take care of their stuff. Should I write this down as a statement?

- Hey, ain't that Yazoo?

If Yuffie was allowed to have her way with running the place, she would have kicked that stupid bitch's ass for blowing the whole cover Cloud had set up. Even if the young ninja would have loved and actually proposed turning the freak over to the friggin' Turks, Cloud was very clear that if anything like that happened, Yuffie would be truly sorry. And she believed him. So now, all she could do was stall the redhead enough to have the chance to…

- You know this guy, yo?

- Yeah, sure, he works here.

- Really now, what's your name?

- Lilly, but everybody calls me Cherry, don't know why… - charming… she was that type of girl, who was completely clueless of her surroundings. Like for example not knowing that if you have your hair cut short just enough to reach below your ears, and then dye it in cherry colour and then not have a clue why they'd call you Cherry…

- Yeah… right… So, Cherry, nice nickname by the way, shouldn't hold it against those guys, yo. Please, do tell about… Yazoo…

- Well, he's amazing! This really great guy. Always calm, always knows what to do, always very nice… And plus he's hot! I mean, you've seen him right, he…

While Lilly-Cherry was rambling on and on to the Turk, distracting him just enough, Yuffie crawled behind the bar and started up the stairs with her trademark speed.

She was in front of the door of Yazoo' "quarters" in a matter of half a minute. She actually got there in such a hurry, that the first knock was delivered by her own head, connecting with the door's surface.

- Iteee… Oi, freak shows, open up! – she said that rather loud, but was completely confident that the noise the delivery people downstairs were making would cover it up.

The door opened so suddenly, that Yuffie stumbled into the room right before the door was slammed right back. She shook her still hurting head a little and stared the man in front of her with not just a little scorn.

- Wow, boss-lady, me an' my boy were just coming down…

- Shut up and listen… where's the other freak?

At that point her searching gaze found what she was looking for in the form of one Yazoo who walked out of the bathroom in nothing on but his jeans and a pair of sunglasses.

- What's up with you? Had a rough morning? – Yuffie asked.

- Something like that… - the remnant drawled out. In fact, he was still recovering from his fit this morning and had yet to manage to will his pupils into normal round shapes.

- Listen, you gotta get out of here, right now!

- Hey, hey, hey, you can't throw us out, Cloud said… - Real Chad began, but was cut off by a seriously innerved cough from Yuffie.

- Ahem, as much as I'd just love to see your asses in chains, Cloud said I should tell you to get when Turks come by. Well, guess what – Turks came by, thanks to pretty boy over there who got his ass recorded on a surveillance cam! So get! Come on – chop chop!

**********************************

Reno could barely contain his yawn anymore, caused by Cherry's unstoppable rambling. So far he had learnt completely nothing of importance, except what he already new – that this guy worked here, that he looked very much like the three "rockers" as she called them that attacked the city an year ago. The only thing he did learn that was actually new, was that despite that everybody thought this Yazoo character to be "awesome", "incredible" and all, they couldn't really say why, because they knew next to nothing about him, and he wasn't much of a talker.

At the very moment, Cherry was describing, as if in a trance, how magnificently Yazoo's hair moved while he walked… At that point the Turk actually prayed for lightning to strike him … And then there was the thunderous crash from above… And it rained… pieces of glass?

Reno took a step back and saw a huge motorcycle flying out of the window on the second floor and landing just a few feet away from where he and Cherry stood. The rider was a rather thinly built young man with a halfway done black shirt, sunglasses and long black hair, safe for the silver fringe in the front. Behind him was a rather bulky dark-skinned guy, hugging him closely around the waist. The long-haired guy tilted his head a little and then revved the engine, and his only salute to his bewildered audience was a sly smile and a "Hn" before he disappeared in a matter of moments behind the first turn.

The Turk stood there, his jaw still dropped in awe and he just couldn't shake the double- image he was getting – on one hand, what he had just witnessed, and on the other – two leather-clad guys riding the same bike, with long flowing silver hair and scary catlike green eyes…

**************************************

- Yo, Yaz, not that I'm not enjoying, as always, hugging you while you perform amazing stuff with this machine, but don't you think we just blew our cover like huge time! – the dark-skinned man screamed, trying to overpower with his voice the howl of the wind against their faces.

- No, - the other one screamed back. – It's called a false diversion – it means that we seemingly admit to have been there before, and are now running away as though we have no other options. Therefore, they'll never think that we are that stupid to go back there again.

- But we are that stupid? Dude, how the hell do you know all this weird military stuff?

- We live in a dangerous world, you pick things up as you go, or you die. ..

Yazoo then shut up abruptly as memories engulfed him. He remembered hearing those words before, and was now utterly shocked and disgusted with himself for having to admit that that horrible man was right… Survival of the fittest … it was the same in the outside world, if not worse.

***************************************

- Any luck? – Rude asked, as he sat himself on the sofa and sipping from the cheap wine they were having tonight.

- Oh, there will be, believe me yo. Cause this little Turk planted a bomb inside the bomb and is watching out for the fireworks!

- What did you do?

- Patience, partner, patience, and go on with the plan. Things will just work themselves out, you know.

- I guess I should be going then?

He received a curt nod from his partner, finished his wine and left Reno in the living room to prepare mentally for what was coming next in their plan.

****************************************

It was three hours to sunrise when Yazoo sneaked back into the apartment he shared with Chad on the second floor of the previous Seventh heaven. He had left his completely freaked-out friend in the safe house in Ajit and came back to see if his plan had worked. And to get a little peace and quiet of course.

As he entered through the broken window, he didn't light any lamps, for one because it could give out his position, and also because he didn't need to. He was perfectly capable of seeing in the dark.

The place was exactly as they had left it. He eased in and walked to his room to lay down a bit. He landed on his bed with a sigh of relief and was just about to close his eyes for a minute or two when a glimmer of gold caught his gaze.

As he snapped into a sitting position on the bed and tilted his head a bit to focus the thing staring him from the drawer on the other side of the room, he realized what it was. The Shiva statuette …

Yazoo's eyes went from surprise to a tinge of fear, however they finally settled on a rather dangerously malicious glimmer. The little smile that curled his lips at that moment spoke nothing but trouble for the redheaded Turk… This chase was now officially on...


	3. Do the right thing, baby

_**Do the right thing, baby**_

Reno looked a bit impatiently at the clock on the wall. Two hours till sunrise. It seemed that his more or less invited guest was taking his sweet time. "Fitting", the redhead thought as he began pacing the room for what seemed the umpteenth time since Rude had left. He was just headed for the kitchen to open another bottle of whatever alcohol was left, when he felt the slightest hint of another presence in the room… A split second afterwards, he felt the cold barrel of a gun pointed at his temple and a hand around his throat.

- Hello, Turk… - the intruder said, deep voice dripping with warning.

- You're late, yo, dinner's already cold.

The hand around his neck loosened its grip and Reno had a very distinct image of a tilted head and an eyebrow, raised in question :

- Dinner?

That was as good a chance as any for the redhead, as he grabbed for the hand around his throat and ducked at the same time, his other hand coming instantly up to punch the gun out of his "guest" ' s reach. The struggle that ensued, led to Reno finally managing to pin the other to the floor, face first, as the Turk held his hands behind his back and sat there, panting a little.

- Woah, ain't so tough in close combat, huh?

- If I was serious, you'd be dead by now. – was the curt answer.

- Yeah, whatever you need to tell yourself…

At that point, Reno was reminded why talking always got him into trouble, as his hostage turned the tables on him so fast, that when the Turk landed onto the floor, his head slammed onto it.

- You where saying? – the intruder smiled and his eyes seemed to glow a predatory shine.

- You know I was kinda serious about that dinner, yo. It did get cold. – he paid no heed to the unimpressed "hn" he got from above. Well, trouble wasn't always what his talking brought. Talking sometimes provided him with good things like time, distraction, and on occasion the ability to gain the trust of the other. – And even though I positively love where your ass is right now, I was hoping to save that bit for after that, yo …

He accentuated his words by grinding his hips to the other' s ass that was indeed in a very compromising position. What came next, however useful for the Turk, wasn't quite expected. Yazoo jumped so fast, you'd think something had burnt him. In a matter of moments he was at the other end of the room, and while still wearing that dangerous look in his eyes, there was something else there … Fear? Now that was curious.

- So let me get this straight… pun unintended, you are chasing me around all day to the point of making me leave my apartment just because you want to get it on with me?

- Well, I wouldn't mind that, even though I was kind of distracting you, yo. See the thing is, it can get real chilly up here… - he pointed his head to the broken window Yazoo knew all too well.

- Oh yeah… Sorry about that. – this was actually really good, Yazoo thought. It was about the window. The Turk hadn't figured him out. Therefore it wasn't really necessary for the young remnant to kill the man, was it? He pondered for a bit why it even bothered him. But just for a bit. – So couldn't you just send me the bill for it? Seeing as you know where I live and all…

- And where's the style in that, yo? – Reno winked at the other man and allowed his winner smile to reappear on his face. – And plus, I wanted to see how you lived. Probably would give me an idea as to why you have to steal…

- And the statuette?

- You like it? Take it, yo – I don't really need it.

- Amazing, I have a stalker, and he is giving me gifts… Could have been worse, I guess, - Yazoo smiled in return.

- You bet it could, yo! So you know what I wanna do next?

Reno began walking towards the younger man, grin growing wider, as he saw those amazing green eyes begin to look alarmed again. Wait, did he just actually think that the remnant freak's eyes were amazing? Damn, he shouldn't have drank that last glass of wine… He snapped out of his reverie when he saw Yazoo take a step back.

- I am not sure this really matters to you but… I don't … swing that way… - as Reno was only one step away now, the wariness that was from sometime now building inside Yazoo slipped through his voice. And he was almost backed up against the wall of the apartment. Not good…not good…

- Well, I'm not really sure you would believe me, but I don't either, yo. – Reno should have been really proud of himself for intimidating the young creature in front of him so much, that he was now able to place his hand on the wall behind him and hover closer to that still unmoving face. But for some reason, he felt a weird mixture of sympathy and curiosity. – But that doesn't change the fact that I'm a fan of all beautiful things and therefore I can appreciate them, right?

- I … guess so – Yazoo finally felt his back press against the wall. The one position that he so desperately wanted to avoid for one too many reasons.

And what was even worse, now that Reno was so close, was the conflict between Yazoo's obvious desire to get out of the literally tight situation, and his body's reaction to the closeness. Damn those ShinRa perverts who thought it would be a good idea to design the S2 assassination units to be bisexual.

- I know so, yo. Look at that beautiful face. – Reno took Yazoo's chin in his hand and tilted it upwards. – Has to be the most beautiful fuckin' face I've ever seen! And it had to come with a pair of balls, instead of boobs… - the Turk leaned a bit, so that he could whisper in the young man's ear. Yazoo could no longer suppress his shudder and Reno felt that. He wasn't surprised by it, however he did find it really hard to concentrate on the task at hand because of it. He had to find the designation tattoo on this guy before his charms burnt through the redhead's brain. – All I wanna do is to know about you, yo…

By now Yazoo was pretty sure if Reno moved suddenly, he would slump to the floor. What exactly was happening to him? Sure he was reacting to the Turk's advances, but he'd had men drooling over him before and managed to fight them off. What was different about this time? He barely managed to bite his lower lip to muffle the moan that found his way up his throat. Reno was licking his neck… His vision began to swim as he felt his pupils dilating and the sound of the redhead's voice seemed very distant all of a sudden :

- But it seems for now I know enough, S2 351, code name "Yazoo".

Suddenly Reno was backing slightly away to enjoy the effect his words would have on the young remnant. His face did _actually _change colour three times – at first he was blushing because of, well, because of certain things… then when he heard the Turk say the number, his eyes widened a bit, he paled, but that was just for a quick moment… Reno was rather impressed. This guy was good, real good.

- I'm sorry? – Yazoo asked, cocking his head to the side in his usual manner. – What are you talking about?

- I think you know pretty damn well, yo. You're from Kadaj's gang. A remnant, a Sephiroth clone, a part of the SOLDIER project…

- Wow! – the young man whistled. – First of all, who's this Kadaj? Second of all, those things that attacked the city got their asses rocked by that Cloud character. Third of all, if my information is correct, the SOLDIERs are almost all dead.

- Yeah, sure. However you're a little more special than any ordinary SOLDIER, see they cooked you up as a part of the JENOVA project as well.

- Now you're being just ridiculous. The SOLDIERs injected with Jenova cells turned to a vegetative state or died… Everybody knows that. – Yazoo's face quickly recovered its sarcastic look. – Or perhaps nobody told you… What they don't trust you enough?

Yazoo had no idea that with that single gloating line he had cemented Reno's opinion that he was in fact what the redhead said he was. The Turk shook his head in an attempt to chase away the memory of the remnant in front of the ShinRa statue who had his head tilted just like the other man was doing now, and had said : "What, the peons aren't trusted?".

- Yeah, sure, the project didn't work, because they were injecting Jenova cells to already fully grown men, yo. – Reno started again. – But you guys were made with those cells since the beginning of your existence, when they first mixed you up in the labs. The perfect SOLDIERs, just like Sephiroth …

- Listen, I enjoy a good bedtime story once in a while, but your imagination is running away with you.

- Oh, really, then how do you explain the tattoo behind your ear, Yazoo? Or the fact that you're what – 65 -68 kilos and beat up a man twice as big as you without breaking a sweat? Or that you jumped from the top floor of a 20 stories building and then walked off like it was nothing?

Reno kept his stare fixed on the young man. Now that he was a few feet away his mojo or whatever didn't have an effect and the Turk felt his resolve returning stronger than ever. He was going through with this plan, and the remnant was going to like it, he just didn't know it yet. Yazoo's head sank low and his shoulders slumped a bit as he sighed. He now was too snapping out of whatever had just transpired between him and the redhead. He felt his cool and calculating demeanor take over again and he began the act he always pulled when somebody got too suspicious of him. He would look vulnerable on purpose, breakable, lonely, sad. Then he would tell his tear-inducing story of a childhood behind bars with endless testing and then, while his victim was in shock and beginning to show signs of sympathy, he would kill them. Simple as that.

- Alright, you got me. – he gave another sigh and looked shyly through his tresses, which turned silver and he let his eyes return to normal. Normal for him anyways. – No use in hiding, huh? – Reno nodded, obviously trying to hide his uneasiness. Yazoo continued. – Yeah, guilty as charged – I was created in the ShinRa labs in the old Nibelheim reactor by Dr. Hollander behind Hojo's back. He definitely wanted to score some points with us in the who's-the-bigger-dick contest the two of them were having. – he allowed himself a small laugh. – Of course, him being an egocentric bastard turned good for us in the sense that he never anticipated that his perfect little soldiers could turn on him and run.

- So, how was it? Growing up in the labs… - Reno felt his throat really dry for a moment. He had only heard stories about the atrocities these two men were capable of just to prove their point.

- A load of fun, if you're a masochist or a psychotic killer. Which was in fact our sole purpose. The perfect genetically enhanced soldiers who felt less pain, moved faster, and followed orders down to the last letter without batting an eyelash. – he noticed the inquisitive look Reno was wearing and said. – I take it you're wondering what went wrong? Nothing, actually, we lived up to the expectations. We were perfect in all ways but one – we realized we were better than the humans who kept us. Obviously they never considered the possibility that when growing the perfect soldiers you're bound to have the perfect rebellion if you slip up. In our case, we came upon two very important facts that made our minds to get the hell out of the labs. First, when they killed one of our own because she was sick just to dissect her like a fuckin' frog in a science project. Second, when we saw them move Mother away.

- Always about Mother, huh? – Reno followed Yazoo who was headed for the couch and sat himself down. He felt really sick by it all, but probably most of all by the casual tone the remnant was telling his story in.

- We were just kids, you know. Plus she was a little more than a head back then. Not to mention parts of her spirit were actually still alive.

- And last time it wasn't?

- Last time it was a fake. I should have noticed the difference… We all should have, but we were too high on our desire to find the others, so we became vulnerable and the perfect prey for dear big brother Sephiroth. – the young man growled the name out like it was something disgusting he didn't want to think about. He noticed Reno's slight surprise at this and continued. – Come on, you heard us all those times, you think we knew and wanted to bring that bastard back? We wanted Mother's cells for the Reunion, not for the Recreation.

- So there's … more of you? – it was the Turk's time to act a bit. Of course, he knew about the others, but he had to play this trump card well, otherwise Yazoo could easily sense the bigger picture and find his way out of the net Reno was now so meticulously wrapping him in.

- If they're still alive, there should be at least nine of them out there.

- Oh... I guess I might have been misjudging you guys, yo...

There it was! Both the discarded gun and the compassion in Reno's eyes were now present and within his grasp. Yazoo sat on the sofa facing the Turk and all the while he casually leant back to retrieve his weapon from the floor. The second he felt the gun fitting in his hand, he bolted up and pointed it at the redhead's face.

- Perhaps you have, Turk... - he smiled his half smile and placed his finger on the trigger. It was alright now, the redhead was right where Yazoo wanted him. Control was back in his hands.- But now that our nice chat is over, I can't have you telling around about this, can I? Though I have to say I'm a bit sorry, you proved to be a very interesting opponent...

He was going to continue, but then he felt his lips weren't moving. Neither were his hands or his legs. The dizzy sensation returned full force and he looked at the redhead in disbelief as he slumped helplessly to the floor.

* * *

He had no idea how much time he had been unconscious before his body restored the feeling in his muscles. Before opening his eyes he tried to gain as much information as possible from his other senses. For once his military training was actually worth something. He was keeping his breathing even and his head low. Obviously he was in a sitting position and was most probably bound to the chair. He could get out of most restraints with his strength but he couldn't test that without giving out the fact that he was awake, and judging from his instincts there were at least three people watching him right now. There had to be a way to...

- Alright, sleeping beauty, show's over. We know you're awake, yo.

- Hn, - was the only reply that came from the bound figure in the chair, as he did not even move his head to acknowledge the statement.

- I say we just kill him, senpai- a female voice started, and Yazoo allowed himself a peak between his tresses to see an all too familiar blonde. Elena was it?

- No good, kiddo - Reno replied. - Plus we have nothing on him - ignoring the look on his young colleague, that was saying that they did indeed have a lot on the remnant. For one- the guy had just tried to kill the redhead. - Don't look like that, yo - if he wanted to cause trouble, he had a whole year to do it. And I kind of believe him about the whole Sephiroth-manipulated-us bit, yo. Mainly because they said nothing about him, only yapping on and on about "Mother".

- So now what do we do? We must inform the President about this. - Rude intervened.

- As much as I want to say I'm with you on this one, partner, things are different now. For the whole year that passed since the remnant accident, the boss has been having a lot on his mind lately. We can't just call him around for every little thing, yo. Anyways, what we report to him is now up to silver fairy over there.

Yazoo was still stubbornly keeping his head down, until he heard footsteps approaching and suddenly felt his head being yanked back by his hair.

- But first, we're gonna make you an offer you cannot refuse, yo! - the redhead winked at the impassive mask of a face the remnant was wearing. He paid no attention to another "hn" that escaped their prisoner, and continued. - See, you're gonna be working for us for a bit, yo! - the surprised looks were on everyone safe for the redhead. Elena and Rude exchanged bewildered looks. However the silence was broken by a deep mocking laugh that escaped the silver haired man's throat. It chilled the atmosphere in the room even though the sun was now shining freely through the broken window.

- Hahahaha, oh... Oh, you really are as dense as you look, Turk. - Yazoo's catlike eyes were shining with that dangerous glimmer Reno knew all too well. - But please, do entertain me, how do you exactly intend to make me do anything?

Instead of flinching like his colleagues when he heard the cold laughter, Reno just smiled a bit wider, and stood behind Yazoo's chair to turn it towards the huge computer screen in the wall next to them. The redhead walked over to the console and put a small chip into the reading device.

- I'll entertain you alright, yo. See, we've done our homework on you, buddy. We know there is no way you do anything unless it includes your own interest, right? - he pressed a button on the keyboard and the screen began to play a movie. - So there you go, yo, your interest right here!

The movie was a five minute take from a surveillance camera in a prison or something like that. The first two minutes it showed an empty looking cell, but then all of a sudden a door opened and two figures dressed in black were pushed inside. One of them, looking no more than 19 years old, lifted his head a bit towards the camera. Yazoo's eyes widened. Kadaj? That was definitely Kadaj! He was just about to jump, when he felt the restraints bruising into his arm. He continued to struggle, when he saw Loz coming into view, and then there was an explosion... Yazoo managed a sharp intake of breath, before another figure came into the picture. It was a young woman, dressed in leather from head to toe. She caught the two boys' inside the cell by the hands and dragged them out of the hole in the wall. Just before she was out too, she turned around to face the camera's eye. She had a chilling look on her handsome features, her eyes were glowing a distinct red and her hair was long and white, complimenting to the nearly blue tinge of her skin. A second after it had received the withering glare of the young woman, the transmission broke with a broken radio sound.

- Kira... - was the only thing Yazoo managed to say with his throat feeling so dry. He felt the familiar thrill of the Sense running through him as he desperately searched for traces of his sister's Spirit as far as he could reach.

- This was taken at an old ShinRa incarceration facility for dangerous criminals, yo. - Reno's voice broke through the alarm bells that were chiming in Yazoo's head. - Of course, you might want to know where, so there you go - interest. We can tell you the whereabouts of the facility you're brothers where caught at. And that girl - J3 456, or Kira as you called her.

The Turk watched with not a little amusement as the young man lifted his eyes instantly at the offer.

- However, we will need you to do something for us, yo. - Reno turned to the console again and opened another file on the desktop, but kept the image of the girl from the camera on the other half of the screen, for good measure. There was a picture of a middle-aged man. - This is Everton Gray. He is what you might call an opportunist. When the Nibelheim reactor blew, he managed to get his filthy little hands on a few of ShinRa's medical research and is now producing... drugs. This particular agent he is now rich and famous for is a very rare hallucinogen called Silver dust. - seeing that Yazoo's face was losing the rest of the mild interest he produced a while ago, Reno tried to cut down his speech. - So basically, we need you to go to him and sell us off. - there was a glint in the catlike eyes in front of him, that Reno took as a good sign. - Woah, horsey! Not so fast, if we get our asses toasted, you get no information, yo. Cause this console will self-destruct, if we don't enter a code into it once every three hours. So, what do you say, yo?

- Can I kill him?

- Certainly, yo. But not before you destroy the data he has hidden in that huge mansion of his.

- Hn, agreed. - Yazoo smiled a bit and tilted his head to the side. So what if he had a little extra fun before toasting some Turks' asses, as Reno had put it. - But please do tell, whatever your name is, why exactly did you choose me?

- Name's Reno, yo. And to your question - you're the most fit for this kind of job, what with your being a genetically engineered killing machine and all. Plus, Cloud trusts you, therefore we think we can too. However, should you slip up, I'm sure he will be the first one racing us to your place, trying to tear your pretty ass apart.

- Hn, thanks for the vote of trust.

- Trust gets earned, yo. Just do the right thing, and you'll be fine.

* * *

So there it is... In a day all that I've been striving to accomplish without anyone noticing me, blew up in my face. My cover, my most treasured desire... And it had to be that annoying Turk that knew about my brothers. And he simply had to know what drives me... The hunt, the kill, the thrill of being in the midst of enemies and blowing them all out. Oh, he is good, he is so good! Maybe I'll kill him last.

" Do the right thing" he said. Hn, like I even care...

* * *


	4. Good guys, bad guys

_**Good guys, bad guys**_

It was past midnight the night following the talk between Yazoo and the Turks. Reno was half lying in front of the computer screen in the almost completely dark room, when a piece of the shadow on the wall next to broken window began to move behind his back. There was no noise to be heard from the ghost-like figure that kept creeping closer to the chair in front of it. Reno was finally shaken awake however, by a hand on his shoulder and a noise that sounded like the click of a gun being loaded. Startled he turned around to see two fingers in his face instead of a deadly weapon and relaxed.

- Hello, boss- the shadow said and walked around the chair and into the barely-there light of the monitor.

- Don't you ever knock, yo? – the redhead said, still rubbing his sleepy eyes until they focused the remnant in front of him.

- Oh, - Yazoo said, tilting his head,- and now where's the style in that?

- You're a fast learner… like that, yo. – Reno laughed a bit. – So you still pissed we confiscated your… arsenal?

- Try nostalgic… I love guns, but that doesn't mean I can't be deadly without them. – the young man's eyes gleamed their best dangerous gleam. The Turk vaguely noticed that even without the cat pupils, these eyes were pretty damn scary. – But then again you know all about that, right?

- Yup, and let me tell you that the stunt I pulled with your capture and all wasn't like anything I've ever done, yo. I mean come on- who's crazy enough to temporarily hire a remnant freak?

- Temporarily being the key word here… - Yazoo agreed – Otherwise, from what I've gathered, you are quite a freak too, aren't you?

- Guilty as charged, yo – Reno winked at the other man. – You know we Turks were pretty much recruited from your status. – to the raised eyebrow he received from the other one, he continued. – They got me with exactly what I got you with – lots of action, kicking ass, blowing things up, that kind of jazz. And given that I don't have any lost brothers and sisters all over Gaia, my interest was a large sum of money. – for a moment he could have sworn he saw the slightest glimpse of appreciation in Yazoo's eyes. – At least in the beginning that was all for me, yo…

- Hn, I knew you were a fan of chaos since the first moment I saw you, **yo.** – it was the remnant's turn to laugh. – I stick to what I said last night. You're a very interesting opponent. – there was a moment of silence and Yazoo realized that he had unconsciously bent over a little so that he was now too close to the Turk's face. And what was probably worse, was that he was complimenting this guy and small talking with him like he was his best friend or some other fuzzy and disgusting thing humans felt towards each other. Moving away suddenly, the remnant spared the other man a glance over his shoulder and said. – So what do you say, coach, am I ready for the big game?

- I'd say you were cooked up ready, yo!

* * *

The building in front of him made the young remnant think yet again that humans were extraordinarily stupid. If you're hiding from the most powerful corporation in Gaia, a huge mansion like this one was probably… oh what's that word, an irresponsible choice to say the least. "And they're having a party. Ain't that cute…". Well, at least the fence looked solid. Too bad it was only 6 meters tall. He was over it in a second, landing on the perfectly groomed lawn without making a sound. Locating an open window didn't prove more of an effort either. However, the shriek that came from the creature inside the room he landed in, was definitely not expected.

He instantly made for the being and placed his hand over it's mouth. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a … male… or something that used to be one…

- Mhm…mhhhh…MHHHH!!! – his victim struggled.

- Hey, hey, shut up, or you are dead. Nod if you understand. – there was a frantic series of nodding. – Good… For Mother's sake are you a he or a she? – more frantic nodding. – A he? – nod, slightly calmer. – Dude … And they tell me I look kind of girly… - wait… did that just sound like an idea?

Yazoo stepped a little back, but still holding his firm grip on the "guy" who was obviously some sort of whore and assessed his clothing. Those looked like some pretty low-cut jeans, a barely-there sleeveless shirt that covered almost nothing, except for a part of the guy's chest… And were those high-heeled boots? The remnant rolled his eyes. Yup, the clothes were hideous, apart from the jeans maybe, and they all had to be about his size. Damn his slender built. Well, no time for that, he had a job to do. Plus, he looked nothing, absolutely nothing, like the thing he was holding now.

- Hn, listen… you ever feel like you really don't want to do what you have to do? – he received a nod. – Good, then you know how I feel…

His fist connected with the male whore's temple and let the body slump to the floor.

* * *

The luxurious hall was all light and colour – huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, expensive red carpeting on the floor, pompous golden ornaments on the walls. Not to mention all the people – no doubt bodyguards and more whores of both genders, that were strolling up and down, before they stopped instantly in their tracks as they saw a figure descend the huge marble stairs.

It was a sight only fiction could make up. A tall creature, with long flowing silver hair, like some sort of fairy, an angel's face with pouty lips and enchanting green eyes, half-hidden by unbelievably long lashes. He was, for it appeared to be a he, even though the sight got most of the straight men in the hall confused about their orientation, wearing black high-heeled boots, that accentuated on his incredibly long legs, jeans that ended so low, a centimeter more and they wouldn't be necessary at all, and that pale belly and ribcage, naked until a barely-there sleeveless shirt covered just a piece of his chest.

By the time most people stopped gaping, he was down the last step and upon passing one of the couples, a female "colleague" beamed at him :

- You work that outfit, boy!

He merely looked at her over his shoulder and smiled. Even though the plan was working, however, he needed to find a more back-room spot. Of course, the boss wasn't out in the open like this. There were too many outsiders and not even a human drug-dealer could be stupid enough to reveal himself to everybody. His thoughts were interrupted as he was caught by the arm and spun around abruptly. His withering glare met a smug and rather unpleasant face, that appeared to belong to one of the bodyguards.

- Hi there, shining princess, the boss wants to see you. It appears you caught his eye too.

- Sorry, I don't bend that way. – was the curt reply.

- Like hell you don't you little fag. – the man grunted and dragged Yazoo over to a door at the end of the hall.

The bodyguard opened the door and pushed Yazoo not too gently inside a room that was almost as spacious as the hall they had just left. It looked like a study, but it had a huge conference-looking table inside and around it were gathered "the big players", as the remnant called them. Cool, lots of gangsters and their whores playing poker. Whatever disgust he was feeling towards the scene before him however, he was quick to hide behind a fake but nonetheless charming smile, as he saw his target.

- Oh, come in, come in, - Everton Gray, a large and repulsive looking man waved at Yazoo. - Come sit next to me, for good luck.

- I don't think so - was the cold reply from the remnant who was now standing next to the "businessman" still wearing his false smile.- Not unless you get a gender change and grow ten years younger...- Yazoo's eyes caught the shock that passed over the whole room, and decided he needed to get rid of them somehow. So he lifted his heeled leg and placed it on Everton's thigh whith a mischevious look on his face. - However, I am here to provide a service ... of sorts. And for that service, Mr. Gray, you will pay me 50.000 gil.

- Quite an enterprising young man, aren't you? And what might you have that I'd want for that much money?

- Hn... I don't know... How about the Turks that are looking to off your fat ass? I know where they are... - his voice dropped to a near-purr. It was now time for his infamous Allure to do the rest of the talking for him and he adjusted his body language by automatically tilting his head in the direction of the rest of the people in the room in a silent suggestion.

- Leave us - was the curt command from the businessman, whose eyes were glued to this strange creature that for some reason had this very strange effect on him.

For a few minutes there were only the rustling sounds of people standing up and hastily leaving the room. When the last one was out and the smug-looking bodyguard closed the door, before starting for the other end of the table where his boss and that whore stood. Yazoo had removed his foot from Gray's thigh and moved back a step :

- So how about we talk business now? - he saw the gangster nod at his gorilla, who in turn caught Yazoo's sides and spun him so that he was bent over the table.

- Sorry, sugar, standard procedure, I'm afraid - Gray said as the bodyguard searched the remnant for weapons a little more thoroughly than necessary in some places...

Yazoo was glaring daggers beneath his long locks as he felt the huge and extremely unpleasant hands of the guard grab for his thighs again. He thought it was over after a bit and tried to stand up, but was forced back over the table again, when the gorilla gave his ass a good slap, completely uncalled for. The young remnant barely willed his demons back inside the box, before he did something that would get him nowhere, like say kill the idiots where they stood. So instead he straightened up and faced the gangster again, his chin up in the air and said:

- Yeah, whatever. So now that Butch over there had his fill of my ass for the evening, can we get down to the point?

- Why of course! I am curious however, are you by any chance a relative of the late general's? - he received an inquisitive look from the young man and resumed. - General Sephiroth? You know- because of the trademark hair and everything...

- My fashion sense is none of your concern... - Yazoo simply stated, in his usual calm tone, however he was boiling with rage under that smooth surface. - However it is your concern how you pay me, or I just walk out of here.

- I seriously doubt that, little kitty - the bodyguard grunted, but was silenced by his boss's lifted hand.

- Well, you really are not one for small talk are you? Alright, I'll play along. So you claim to know the Turks' whereabouts? - upon receiving a curt nod from the young man, the gangster lifted his huge body from the chair to sit behind his mahogany desk. - Alright then, prove it to me. - he pulled out a laptop from one of the drawers and turned it towards the remnant. - Type in their address...

- Hn, I have something a little better. See they hired me to do some recon for them. - at the statement, the bodyguard quickly started for Yazoo. - Woah, Godzilla, chill. I decided to give them the shake, otherwise I wouldn't be saying this to you of all people, now would I? - he saw Gray shoot a warning glare at his employee, before he waved his hand in the remnant's direction, signaling for him to continue. - So can I use your phone?

At his raised eyebrow, the gangster gave him the wireless speaker of the phone on his desk, and fixed his eyes on the silver-head as he was dialing the number and then put on the loudspeaker so the other two could listen.

- ShinRa garbage disposal, may I help you? - a female voice chirped.

- Hi, Elena, right? - Yazoo started. - Listen, cleanup's almost over, so you think you can meet me someplace and arrange the payment?- for some strange reason Yazoo had actually hoped that Reno would pick up the phone. Now, hearing the young woman's voice made him feel uneasy and less safe, and that infuriated him to no end, so he decided to do what he did best- he ignored the feeling and carried on.

- Sure, garbage man, you know the old run-down building near the ruined statue in Midgar?

Yazoo allowed himself a devillish smirk. Oh, these guys were real good, trying to mess with him by sending him to the building Kadaj and President ShinRa jumped from a year ago, but they got the wrong man. Yazoo was an absolute expert in sniffing out mind games and flushing them out of his system as soon as they were registered. Still, it was a good try though.

- Yeah, I know the place. Meet me there in three hours. - he said, but he saw the gangster who was holding two fingers raised. - No, wait, I think I can manage in just two.

- Acknowledged, meet you there. - the young female Turk said and hung up.

Yazoo thought about making one of his trademark I-told-you-so faces, however, he was suddenly grabbed by the bodyguard, and heard Everton say:

- Interesting, very interesting, son. Bruno, take 25 thousand gil with you for this young man, and take him to the chamber in the back, next to the swimming pool. Make sure our _guest_ is comfortable until it's time for the meeting. He'll get the rest of his share after the Turks are dead.

* * *

Well, things were going according to plan so far, apart from the trip to the back room, which was filled with "thrilling" stuff like the huge guy trying to feel Yazoo up again and so forth. But the young remnant blocked it out and concentrated. This was actually a very satisfying outcome. He was alone with an idiot who was already falling for him, even without Yazoo's Charm spells. Therefore he could be easily manipulated, and manipulative would have been Yazoo's middle name, if he ever chose to have one. So he wasted no time when the door of the room was closed behind them and he turned to the bodyguard finally releasing himself from the grip:

- So you work for Mr. Gray long? - he said in a deep purring voice.

- Yup, I am what they call the ... best. - the huge guy stuttered a bit when he saw Yazoo smile at him, all bathed in moonshine coming from the huge glass doors, outlooking the pool. - But enough about me, you look like an interesting guy.

- Hn, I get that a lot... - the remnant smiled and strode gracefully towards the glass doors.

- Well, it's true you know, you're very hot... I mean for a guy, but you ain't stupid - you know what you want and you're straight to the point, I get that, totally. So maybe, after all this is over...

- Well, I don't know ... I stick to what I said earlier- I don't bend that way. Even less, when the candidate is being forcefully retired. - Yazoo was just probing, testing for a weakness, but the reaction that came when he spoke was so perfect, the young remnant was surprised with himself.

- What the hell are you talking about? - the bodyguard stood dumbfounded on the opposite side of the large bed, confusion and a bit of anger taking over his face instead of that sly pervert smirk he was wearing a moment ago.

- Oh come now, even a large, perverted and stupid son of a bitch like you should have noticed that the boss ain't pleased with you anymore, Bruno. - good, the idiot took the anger-bait. Yazoo was tired of false smiles and wasting energy with Allure. Now for the salt in the wound. - Why do you think he hired me? What? You seriously thought that your boss is dumb enough to play by a strange whore's rules and believe an off story about some Turks' whereabouts? Come on ...

- Shut up! - the bodyguard growled and pulled his gun on the grinning face of the silver-head.

- See, that's exactly why Gray needed me to put you down. You don't think at all! Come on - shoot me. - the shot whistled dangerously through the now empty space of the remnant's previous standing spot. Yazoo moved so quickly, his outlines blurred. He was around the bed before the shattered glass fell completely to the floor and thanked whoever was listening that the room was so far away from the party. He quickly disarmed the guard and pushed him on the floor. - Oh, come on, tall, dark and gruesome, that can't be all you've got! You're not even trying!

He stood up from the fallen bodyguard and started for the pool, mockingly looking over his shoulder, offering a race. The brawny guy picked his gun up and started running behind the remnant and took another shot. This time it was real close, and Yazoo sped up a bit, he was almost there. When he heard the next shot, he knew it was time to roll over and play dead. So he stiffened suddenly and slumped into the pool, much to the bodyguard's surprise. Bruno stood a bit shocked, looking at the unmoving figure tht was floating in the pool. Then he slumped to the ground in a sitting position. After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself and glancing again at the obviously dead body in the water, he picked his gun up again and said to no one in particular:

- That fucking bastard Gray... he tried to off _me?_ ME! I'll show that son of a bitch some manners!

A few more minutes passed, after the former bodyguard disappeared into the house again, before Yazoo finally decided to drop the act and surfaced on the other end of the pool to hear some gunshots in the house. After a while, there was an explosion from where he estimated the study had to be. He smirked from behind his wet tresses and started towards the fence.

* * *

- Mission accomplished, boss - Yazoo's deep voice shook Reno out of his doze in front of the computer.

- Wha... Who... - the redhead was a bit startled, but then he saw the remnant and smiled a bit. - Oh, it's you, huh? So how'd you do, yo?

- Well, I made some bad guys fight against each other, and I scored some jeans and nearly made 25 thousand gil. - the remnant smiled in return. It was just then that the Turk realised how Yazoo was dressed.

- Woah... man, I never realized you were working the streets... - he received a warning look from the young man and decided to drop the subject. - Bad guys you say? Considering who this is coming from it shouldn't have been that much of a challenge, yo. I mean, it's not some wacky trio in black leather trying to end the world, right? That was bad, pure evil in fact...

He was cut off by a hand to his throat and looked up in shock to the ice-cold look of two huge blue-green cat eyes.

- Evil, huh? Let me tell you about evil, Turk. - Yazoo's look went distant a bit as he spoke. - Evil is tying up a nine year old boy to a chair in a room that's rapidly filling with water. And then putting his eleven-year old brother in the room with a direct view to this scene, placing a gun in his hands and telling him to shoot some pathetic bastard. And that pathetic bastard is also tied in a chair in the other end of the controll room and is begging for his life. And they tell the older boy that he either offs the poor bastard, or he watches his brother wake up and die a slow death of drowning. - the gleam in Yazoo's eyes intensified, but nothing changed in his expression, his voice was calm, even if underneath it could be sensed a great anger. - That, my dear enemy, is evil. So you do not get to tell me who's evil and who's not. These notions mean nothing to me. ShinRa made sure of that...

Suddenly, he let go of the bewildered redhead's throat to disappear into the night through the fallen window.


	5. Nana's Angel

Here be some mild hints of yaoi. Beware of horny Turk.

_**Nana's angel**_

Nearly a week after the Gray mission was completed single-handedly by Yazoo, Reno could be found in the living room, staring at the now repaired and open window. The redhead was cradling a glass of whisky in his hand, but the ice cubes had melted some hours ago, and he wasn't minding the drink at all. He was still pondering the sudden outburst of the young remnant, regarding good and evil. He was already past the stage of cursing himself for saying no matter what just to not keep his yap shut or to not fall asleep. He was past hitting the walls and drinking and smoking and getting crazy ideas about going into the lion's den and apologizing to the young man. He was now just staring off to nothingness, and to the neutral onlooker, he looked a lot like a certain someone with long silver hair with that expressionless face he wore at the moment. He did in fact have the off feeling that he had a lot in common with the remnant, even if he didn't want to consciously admit it. Reno started tapping with his finger onto the glass table. After several taps, however, a similar thud was heard. The Turk stopped and heard it again. It was coming from the window.

He lifted his gaze, and was met by a most peculiar sight. There stood the guy that had occupied his thoughts for some time now, fist in the air, knocking at the open window. When the man realized he'd been noticed, he smiled weekly and said:

- See, I'm knocking this time.

- Well then, enter, yo – was the automatic reply as Reno was still wondering if he should believe his eyes and if he did, should he laugh at the pun or say something more… serious.

The remnant kept his smile, however he more slumped down from the window sill than gracefully step down from it like he usually did. It was then that the Turk realized just how tired and … pained Yazoo looked. His thin eyebrows were knitted together as if he was having a very bad headache, his shoulders were a bit slumped, he had dark circles under his catlike eyes, his hair wasn't disguised or chamelionized or whatever he did with it to keep it black… He was wobbling on his legs despite the comfortable looking boots he was wearing and was obviously feeling very dizzy, judging from the more than normal distant look in his eyes. He attempted another smile, as though it was a great effort to him :

- So say, boss, you got a place to bunk down for a bit? – and then like that one statement had just drained the last of his energy, the remnant's knees gave in under his weight and he began to fall to the floor.

Reno jumped up instantly and went to encircle the lithe waist of the other guy to hold him up. He then guided him to the sofa he was previously sitting in and led him into a half lying position onto it.

- Hey, what's wrong, yo?

- ShinRa's … finest technology… - was the heaved reply. Reno thought a bit back to when Rude had told him that, just before they set the bombs in front of this same man's motorcycle. – went horribly… wrong with me…

- Huh?

- Yup, I am the perfect assassin, so perfect, so carefully designed; even my illness is ingeniously perfect. – Yazoo tried to laugh a bit but then stopped suddenly and clamped his mouth shut, as an incredibly strong tremor shook his entire body and some sort of dark mist began to form around the lines of his face and frame. He caught Reno's bewildered expression after a particularly painful spasm made him wince. – D-don't worry, h-happ-ens all… all the tt-time… It… w-will p-passsss….

- What's happening to you, yo? What the fuck is this?

- Like I said, - Yazoo said after waiting a bit for the first series of tremors to stop. – This happens, and it goes. My alien genes are attacking my human genes, turning on them like an intrusive body.

- Like Geostigma?

- Something like that, just reversed. The process is called "rearranging". Basically, my human genes are more abundant, in order to make me … manageable by human standards. However, the alien side of me is stronger, so I have to even the scales and it stops.

- Even the scales?

- Alright, say like this – the human brain produces some natural stimulants, right? Dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline and so forth. – he saw the redhead blink a few times, and then nodded for Yazoo to continue. – Well, in these periods, my brain stops doing that, and that's when Mother's cells begin to rage inside of me. So say, you got any chocolate?

- Chocolate?

- Yes, chocolate, caffeine, sugars of any sort, they are basic elements for the stimulants to keep running through my blood. Basically, I'm giving my human system a kick in the ass to wake it up, so that my genes can balance again. – Yazoo felt really stupid right now for barging in with his problems to the Turk, but truth was it was very bad this time, and he didn't have time to get to Ajit, and staying home was out of the question. Chad didn't know of his true nature, and the remnant preferred it that way. He hated to admit it to himself, but he really had no place else to go right now, but here.

Reno hung his head low, deep in thought. No, he didn't have anything sweet around the house. Rude didn't like sweets, and seeing as he was the only one that actually thought about stopping by the store for provisions once in a while, Reno and Elena were kinda stuck with that. Plus, thinking while being so close to the remnant and basically feeling and inhaling the Allure he was created with, was proving to be a big challenge. He was constantly fighting the weird urge to push the remnant down on the sofa and kiss the breath out of him. "Hold the phone, yo!", the Turk's eyes lit up as an idea hit him. He said serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline. Well, Reno was no doctor, but even he knew what else besides chocolate could cause some of these stimulants to flow freely through one's system. One kick to the human system coming right up…

Yazoo had just opened his mouth to ask about the strange little smile that formed on the Turk's lips, when all of a sudden, he was silenced by that very same smirk, covering his own lips, and a tongue quickly prodded in between them. Before he knew it, he was pushed to lie down completely on the sofa, with Reno on top of him, one of his hands creeping beneath the hem of his black shirt and began to feel up the remnant's perfect white skin. The shudder that shook Yazoo's being was so intense, Reno cracked an eye open just to make sure it wasn't another seizure. No black mist was present, therefore- Eureka! – it worked!

Reno would have stopped to congratulate himself, or to spare at least a few words of explanation to the now struggling young man beneath him, however his whole mind went completely blank, safe for the feeling Yazoo's taste gave him. It was the sweetest thing, addictive and intoxicating, and the slimmer male's squirming and fighting did nothing but further intensify the Turk's desire for him. He needed to taste something else, so he moved down from his lips…

- Hey, what's the big ide… ah! – Yazoo's angered tone was reduced to a loud moan, when Reno sucked on his neck. He felt his cheeks heat up, and his resolve was weakening. Not good…

- You said you lack stimulants, - Reno panted and looked him in the eye. – So there you go- stimulation, yo.

He dipped his head down again, and now directed his attention to the buttons on Yazoo's shirt and the second they were out of their hooks, he latched on to the slightly flushed skin of the remnant's chest, spending some time to play a bit with his rosy buds and enjoy another moan from the young man, before continuing down…

- Hey, Reno you here? – came from the doorway.

Simultaneously a red and a silver head shot up in the direction of the voice and half a second later the two guys shared a shocked look, and in the next moment they were off the sofa, Yazoo buttoned up his shirt at the speed of light and stood stiffly next to Reno, who was also looking like a human statue or a soldier in line for morning inspection.

- Woah, no need to stand up, boys, it's just me – Elena walked into the living room, wearing a happy smile, even if it did turn a bit sour when she noticed Yazoo. – So you patch things up, you bickering couple?

In spite of the intensive training the both of them had behind them where poker faces were concerned, they looked at each other in shock. "Couple"? Reno was, thankfully the first to snap out of it, summoning his best "I'm not bullshitting you, I promise" look and said:

- Yeah, we talked it over. – over, and under, and on top… "Shit, Reno concentrate!" – So you still not comfortable with him around, yo?

- He doesn't bother me one bit, - the redheaded Turk struck the hurt professional pride cord in Elena, successfully changing the subject. She turned to the silver-head who had once again resigned himself to being a static object in the room. – And you, be sure not to cause any trouble, because I am not the little girl I was back than, understand?

- Yes, Ma'am – the second it slipped out of his lips, Yazoo widened his eyes a bit and snapped out of it. – I mean, yeah, whatever.

- You might not believe it, - Elena laughed a bit at the strange reaction she got from the remnant, - but I actually have something for you.

She turned her back, not noticing the way the silver-haired man tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at Reno, nor the way her colleague shrugged, she just started for the computer console, still smiling and knowing that they'd follow. The blonde Turk received the chip from Rude, and was actually a bit anxious herself to see what was on it.

The other two arrived behind her just as she started running whatever was on the chip. All three of them gasped at the file on the screen. It was a pathology report. And there was a picture of what looked like a part of a woman's head, the shot showing long flowing white hair, her skin had the slightest tinge of blue, and behind her ear, there was a tattoo : "J1 253". The report stated, that the female died from severe blood loss, but still her neck was broken, post-mortem and her eyes where pulled out.

- Nana … - was all Yazoo could manage at this point.

- Yo… That's one of your sisters?

- Hn, that's her designation number… - the remnant's eyes drifted off again like he was seeing something the others couldn't. Then he said in a calm voice. – That is not her.

- Listen, Yazoo, right? – Elena turned to him. – I'm sorry for your loss, but facts are facts.

- Not for us they aren't. – the silver-head insisted. – We disintegrate when we die. That way we don't leave corpses behind for the enemy to study. Furthermore, look at the report again. They found dye in her hair and on her skin. Well, our bodies don't hold dye.

- Well then… what… - Reno was scratching his head in a desperate attempt to understand the situation.

- Did you say her eyes were pulled out? – Yazoo ignored the redhead, turning to the blonde Turk.

- Yeah, but, how can you be so…

- I have to go. – he stated flatly and turned for the hallway, deciding to try that elevator this time.

- Hey, hey, - Reno started after him and turned him around by the shoulder. – Are you gonna be alright, yo?

All he received was the remnant's typical snort, before the young man disappeared through the door.

* * *

"The barracks' dormitory was completely dark, safe for some stranded moon rays that sipped through the barred windows. However, the beds were empty, because the 12 children that should have been occupying them were sitting in a circle on the floor, around a girl that appeared to be the oldest, and despite her muscular built looked very beautiful with long white hair, bluish skin and big red eyes.

- Nana, tell us that story again! – a boy that looked no more than 7 years old with a silver fringe in his eyes said.

- It is no story, Kadaj, - the girl said in a low voice, full of suspense. – It is the truth. If you are a bad soldier for Mother, you go to the Bad place where the monsters from the lower levels will pull your eyes out and eat them, and then they will break your neck and eat you all up! – her audience got a bit agitated, so she continued, this time in a more reassuring tone. – However, if you are a good soldier, She will accept you to the Good place, and there you can become a Spirit, like Her and there will be no early-morning training, no yelling, no fighting, just peace…That's why we have to be brave, and show no mercy towards our enemies, we should kill them, but keep their eyes, so that we can fool the monsters when we walk past them to the Good place."

That's the story she used to tell us when we were kids. It was the closest thing we had to a bedtime story, and even if it was rather gory, it was all we knew back then. We all believed it, however, in our own way. But Nana and Loz were the most taken by it. Nana…what have you done, big sister?

* * *

Yazoo shook his head a bit, trying to chase the memories away, and revved up his motorcycle, while concentrating with his Sense for traces of his sister around. He was just nearing the ruins of the building that collapsed from the materia explosion he and Loz caused a year ago, when he felt it. His sister hadn't concealed her Spirit from him, however she wasn't responding to him either. This caused him to park his bike a little too hastily for his style, and he ran as fast as he could to the origin of the signal. He stopped running after a while and looked around to study his surroundings. He wasn't thinking about it before, but now he realized exactly where she was leading him. It was his very own thinking place, up on the old building next to the collapsed one. Obviously, Nana had been tracing him as well. For some reason, that did not make him feel at all what he expected. Instead of being happy that he might find one of his lost siblings, he was overwhelmed by a sense of dread that crept up his spine. He had no time to study it however, so he just entered the building and ran up the stairs in his super-speed to the roof. When he burst from the door, he was welcomed by a knife, flying in his direction. He barely dodged it and jumped to the side, focusing his eyes on the red-eyed figure before him.

- Yazoo... - the figure said in a cold voice, that did not at all suit the young remnant's memory of his sister. - I see you are still a good soldier, little brother...

- What have you done, Nana? - was all Yazoo could manage through his dry throat as he saw the rather long necklace of eyeballs his sister was wearing around her neck.

- Oh, this - she tilted her head and gathered some of the severed eyes in her hand to hold them before her eyes. - These are my tickets to the Good place. They're for the monsters.

- There are no monsters! Nibelheim blew up, remember? Besides, - he continued, pointing at her "necklace". - Who do you think the monster is now? These people... Oh, Mother how many people have you killed? They weren't your enemies!

- They are all our enemies! - Nana raised her voice with a venomous look in her eyes. - And we must kill them in Mother's name, be good soldiers for her, so She can give us the Good place!

- Been there, done that - Yazoo spat, narrowing his eyes. He was feeling very sick right now. His sister was obviously insane. - Mother is dead, her Spirit is lost, she was dying even when we were kids!

- Is that so? Look inside yourself, little brother and listen... doesn't your soul burn, don't your arms tingle to feel a gun there? You are a predator Yazoo, you inherited Mother's legacy, therefore Mother can never be dead. She lives with each life I harvest for her. Come with me, Yazoo, we can build our shining future on top of the rotting corpse of this one!

That was the last straw. Hearing those words again, he thought for a second he wasn't seeing his sister, but instead a tall man with knee-length silver hair and a six foot katana. The rage that flared inside of him was so intense, he leapt forward with a feral grow, going for the illusion's neck. However, in the next moment the man disappeared and he saw his sister that had successfully dodged him, smile at him from some meters away.

- That's it, Yazoo! That is what I am talking about! That rage is good, hold on to it, come on, try to hit me again, show me how strong you have become!

Yazoo's eyes widened a bit in shock as he realized that he had fallen for it, he had done exactly what Nana wanted him to. He felt his anger rise again - nobody could make him do anything! He felt used, like he had that night when he woke up in the lake in Ajit. No, not again. Never again... He sighed and looked at his sister with a chilling look in his eyes.

- Go away... Get out of my sight, you are not my sister... Come on- get, or Mother help me, I will destroy you if you cross me again! - Nana's eyes darkened again, but she turned for the door that was pathetically hanging on one of its hinges. - Oh, and one more thing - Yazoo called after her back. - This city is my safe house, I have the perfect cover set, and if you endanger it in any way by killing again, you will see exactly how strong I have become...

* * *

Reno had his head in his hands before the computer, still trying to figure out everything that had happened in the last couple of hours. The easiest thing was figuring out the pathology report and Yazoo's reaction to it- obviously, his sister was running wild, killing people, for some reason the Turk really didn't want to know. The thing he had yet to grasp, were the things that happened before Elena entered. He easily wrote off the make-out session as one of his perverted attempts to mess with the remnant while helping him out a bit. However, that was exactly the point. The young silver-head had come to Reno of all people for help. Or had he? For some reason the redhead really liked the idea of being able to support and help the remnant. And that was confusing the living hell out of him. Was this some trick of the famous Allure quality the young man had? The Turk's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a beep from the computer. He turned his head to the screen and his jaw dropped when he saw the open communication window and an all too familiar face with a wild hair and beard and a labcoat, with a very funny orange shirt underneath.

- Good evening, Turk. - the man said and smiled behind his beard.

- Hollander... but how? You are ... dead... - Reno stuttered.

- Oh, come now, Turk, even with your low level of intelligence, surely you've noticed that it was no more but a cheap copy of me, after all you know that evasion is what I am very famous for. But enough about me, I understand you have met one of my lab kittens? Maybe more even, considering some recent events...

- What do you want, Hollander? - Reno said, for some reason the way this guy called Yazoo a "lab kitten" really pissed him off.

- What any parent wants, Turk, I want my beautiful children back. So that I can reward those who were good, and punish those who are misbehaving. Like J1 253 for instance... Or Nana, as 351 surely calls her.

- His name is Yazoo, you fucking prick! - Reno spat at the smiling image of the professor, who just grinned even wider.

- Ohohoho, what have we here? It seems S2 351 has lived up to his design completely. You are so tied up over him, I am positively proud. - there was another beep from the computer and Hollander said. - However, a world and a picture of warning, Turk. Look at the photo, and remember- you may have had some good moments with 351, but he is and forever will remain a killing machine, a predator. Do not fool yourself and step away from him, because otherwise it will be too late and you will see him transform from a lap kitty into a ferocious tiger. You have been warned.

The connection broke and Reno gasped at the open image on the desktop. It was a photo, showing a dead man on the forest floor, and a bunch of silver-haired children, still around the corpse. The redheads eyes fell on one tall and very slender boy in the middle of the picture, whose hair was just below his shoulders. His gentle features were soiled with dirt and drying blood, his eyes held that mystic and frightening glimmer. It was Yazoo. Standing next to a corpse who he most probably helped in killing. He was smiling...


	6. Nana's Angel 2

_**Nana's angel 2**_

All of a sudden Reno felt very cold and just a tad bit scared / of course otherwise it wouldn't be professional/. So he looked nervously around the room, after closing the file. Two details had stuck inside his head and were eating away at him. Was he really that stupid to actually think he could work with and trust one of the silver-head sickos? The image of the dead man was still glued to the back of his eyelids. The guy's eyes had been taken out… his neck was broken… And the second thing- Yazoo, smiling, like he just ate an ice-cream or something… But those eyes of his…

The Turk nearly jumped when he saw two glowing green orbs floating in the darkness of the room's corner. They were nearly as cold as the voice that came from the figure, who stepped a bit towards Reno's chair :

- What are you so wound up about? You watch a scary movie or something?

- Something… Yeah… - Reno shook out of it a bit, annoyed with the slightly mocking tone. – So you find your sister, yo?

- No…

The redhead felt his usual boldness come back to him. Fuck if he was gonna be scared of some picture of a wacky smile. So he summoned his best condescending tone and tried a bit of reason.

- Listen, Yazoo… She's killing people, she has to be stopped….

- I know that! – the remnant suddenly cried out. – I fucking know that, that's why I told you I didn't find my sister… Just some kind of monster in her empty shell!

If Reno wasn't so freaked out over the sudden outburst, he probably would have noticed the hurt look that flashed across Yazoo's features for just a second, for should it have been seen, it could have seriously shook the doubts about the remnant being a psycho out of the redhead's mind. Or was it an act?

Yazoo went over to the sofa and sunk down on it, head in his hands. He had a throbbing headache. When he closed his eyes, he could swear that the throbbing turned to a sound. Yes… the sound of small feet marching on the tiled floor of the hallway on the lower levels at Nibelheim, where the training grounds were. They were going back to the barracks now, marching like good little soldiers, when all of a sudden there was a feral growl and the sound of something huge hitting the steel door on their right. Through the small barred window of the cell could be seen a monstrous disfigured face… The children stopped and stumbled backwards to the wall opposite the door.

- Keep moving, soldiers! – was the cold order from the front, as Hollander completely ignored the shocked and scared looks of the children.

Yazoo remembered that his body refused to move then. He couldn't understand what was happening to him, he couldn't identify the feeling. He just stood there, staring at the horrible creature still growling from behind the barred little window. That was until a hand clasped his and he was pulled up the corridor. He looked up and was met by the soft and caring gaze of two red eyes with slit pupils, and heard that sweet voice of his sister Nana:

- Come on, little brother, Nana will save you from the monster.

"Little brother". The two words floated through his mind and his memories wandered even further back. There were so many colours, there were lights, there was a flow of something, something that soothed him and he was at ease… It felt so good, so … warm… But then there was a crash and he felt his young body trashing with pain… It was dark, so very dark… And all of his muscles were overtaken by painful spasms… He vaguely registered some voices through the tremors :

- Well, that's the last one for today. Throw him in with the rest, if he survives till tomorrow, S2 351 will be the last of this series. Destroy the other pods.

They took his shaking form to a room, that seemed even darker they the one he'd left. They threw him not too gently on the concrete floor. The pain was so strong, he just felt he should do something, he felt the whole fucking world should know that he was hurt, but it just never came… His voice… His eyes remained wide open, he felt them heat up, they felt weird, but no tears came. And what were tears anyways? He didn't know. He didn't know where he was, it all felt so strange… The calm was gone, and he so wanted it back! Then all of a sudden he was in someone's arms, and he saw two huge red eyes, stained with tears and a voice said :

- Look, Loz, we have a new baby brother… But he's hurt… Come here, little one, Nana will take care of you…

And the warmth and calm were back again…

- Houston, do you read me? Earth to Yazoo… You ok, yo?

Yazoo was abruptly shaken from his memories by two strong hands rocking his shoulders back and forth. His eyes shot open so fast, Reno stumbled a bit back.

- You with me, yo? – the Turk tried again when he saw the empty far away look returning to overtake the young man again.

- It was all because of her you know… - was the muffled reply. Reno kneeled in front of the remnant who had his head hung low. - She was that one safety net we had in that hellish place… Our anchor back to reality when insanity came knocking… With her stories about Mother, and the Good place… When all this time our real mother was her… - Yazoo lifted his eyes a bit and met the blue gaze of one Turk, who almost looked worried… They stayed like that for a bit, both wondering what exactly was going on with them. The Turk was wondering if he ever saw a face with more hurt and pain painted on it, with no tears coming. Yazoo was wondering how he got to feel just the slightest bit of his beloved calm when he was around the redhead, just enough to make him spill his heart out. And that was a first. The remnant tilted his head all of a sudden, resolution firm in his gaze as he stood up from the sofa. – I have to find her… talk to her… I owe her that much and yet so much more…

- Wait! – Reno called after staring for a bit after the young man who was walking for the door. Yazoo stopped and looked over his shoulder. – Hollander… Hollander is alive, and he's after Nana… He knows you're here too…

- So? All the better for me if I get to finally kill the bastard. – was the calm and ever self-confident reply.

Reno allowed himself a smile. He didn't even think about it this time, just let himself feel relieved that Yazoo was back to his normal self again. The Turk then walked to one of the drawers near the computer and pulled out a wooden casing.

- Nothing, just thought you would appreciate my gift, yo. – he winked at the raised eyebrow he received from the remnant and walked over to him. – Though I was kinda saving this for your birthday or something…

- Don't have one… A birthday that is… - Yazoo shrugged. – ShinRa wasn't big on throwing parties for little alien mutants.

The young silver-head received the case and opened it. Then his jaw dropped when he saw what was inside.

- Heh, thought you might like that, yo. Those are them new models… Satin Nightmares. Longer bullet chambers for more speed, longer top side swords, carries more bullets, which means less recharging… - Reno paused and his smile grew when he heard the gasp come from Yazoo, when he picked the two pieces in both his hands, case falling forgotten to the floor. – Plus, I allowed myself a tiny modification…

The remnants' eyes grew even larger, if possible, when he saw the engraving on the barrels. "Yazoo's right hand", "Yazoo's left hand"… Then he hung his head low once again, and whispered :

- Thank you… I…

- Stop right there, yo… No need to thank me… It was just a crazy idea of mine. If not for the spur of the moment, I probably wouldn't have given them to you at all anytime soon. Just don't get yourself killed… we still need to work some more cases, right?

Yazoo nodded, and turned to the door again, stashing his new treasures in the inner pockets of his leather jacket. "Hn, interesting, he thought, maybe this Turk can be of some use, after all…".

* * *

Her heart was pounding in her chest. The only word floating through her mind was "fuck" repeated over and over again. How did she get herself into that mess? What did that weird woman want with her anyways? She met that strangely muscular yet good-looking female outside of town. The next thing she knew, she was hit on the head hard and swung over a strong shoulder to be dragged off to Gaia-knew where… When she woke up in something that looked like a cell, she noticed her red hair was now white and the skin behind her ear burnt, as though it had just been tattooed or something… Then the huge metal door swung on her hinges with a mind-numbing shriek and that crazy bitch told her to run. Well, duh, of course she'd run and run she did. She vaguely noticed the words that the other woman was crying out to her behind her back. Something about some mother and some good place.

"Fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck…". She hated the feeling of dread that she felt, she hated the way she felt like some sick hunter's prey. She sped up, like that'd do any good. She had no idea where she was, all the white trees glowing eerily around her looked exactly the same. She blinked away some of the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes, and just then, she hit something. She thought it was another tree, but it was actually a flat chest, covered in a black shirt and an open leather jacket. She jumped to the side, when she lifted her eyes up and saw two glowing green orbs, surrounded by long black hair and a silver fringe. However, a long-fingered hand in biker gloves wrapped itself around hers, to prevent her from running. The beautiful tall man faced away from her, holding her hand, but his face was hidden by long tresses cascading to the middle of his back. She felt strange around this creature, as if it was taking away all of her fear and feeling of dread, calming her.

- Hey, you some kind of angel or something? – she said, a bit breathless from all the running and the run-in with the young man.

The guy started to turn his head to her, and his hair began to turn silver, almost white. She stood shell-shocked as he saw the huge green eyes stare at her with catlike pupils. She opened her mouth to scream, but was stopped by a hand to her lips. His other hand wrapped itself around her waist, preventing her from moving. He stared her down with those strange eyes, and his pupils dilated a bit, like a cat, about to attack and he muttered in a low voice, not at all matching his lean posture "Charm". All of a sudden, she felt very dizzy, everything else disappeared, all that was left was him and her, floating in colorful nothingness. She felt completely helpless but for some deranged reason that didn't scare her at all… Quite the contrary, it felt so good, to be held by that creature, to have her gaze locked with those huge glowing orbs. She wasn't afraid, she was in bliss, she felt so comfortable with this strange man, she never wanted this moment to stop… She… loved him… All rational thought was banished from her head, and all she could see, feel, hear was this boy, whose voice resonated through her whole being as he said in an even lower, bass toned voice :

**- You got lost in the woods… You got scared… You will never come here again, nor will you talk to strangers. Ever. Again. **

- I'll never… come here again… never talk to… strangers… again… - she echoed, fascinated by that deep voice and those glowing orbs. What was he doing to her? – Will I ever see you again… I… I love you…

**- How could you? You never saw me… You will forget about me. Never come here again! Now run, go find shelter in the city. **

And just like that, her feet carried her away from him, in spite of her will. When the eye-contact broke, she forgot she ever saw that perfect angel.

Yazoo leaned a bit against a nearby tree, and pressed a hand to his temple. He had a splitting headache. It had been so long since he used that technique on someone. It nearly drained him. "Focus", he hissed through clenched teeth and took a deep breath to calm himself and concentrate on his senses. Good thing, too because there was a knife flying in his direction and he barely jumped to the side before the shiny steel pierced the tree he was just leaning against.

- Where is my monster, Yazoo? – he heard his sister growl at him with red eyes glowing with insanity.

- Why thank you, _sister_ – he smiled a cynical grin at her. – It's just us monsters here now.

- Oh, I see – Nana replied with an evil grin of her own. – You used the 3rd level of Allure on her, didn't you? Charm, was it? Pretty hardcore stuff, huh? Tell me, brother, does it hurt like it used to?

- What is it to you if it does? It's not like you care…

- Poor little Yazoo, does it hurt to be beat at your own game? After all, not caring is your specialty. – she laughed, throwing her head back. - Poor, cold little Yazoo, so good at reading other people, yet so lost in his own frozen heart…

- Shut up! – he barked, boiling with anger. – It's not true! I cared… about you!

- Ooh, past tense… Though I seriously doubt that, little brother. You left me alone in this freak show world, didn't you?

- It wasn't my idea to get separated! Kira said…

- Oh sure, blame it on Kira, why don't you, because you're otherwise so good at following orders! – she lashed out at him, but he was ready this time, dodging her outstretched hand and hitting her square in the face.

- So it's my fault, is it? – he growled at her, as they were circling each other like two hungry wolves. – So it's my fault and you go kill innocent people? Has Deepground gotten so much to your head?

- Everything made sense there… - she said, hiding for a moment behind her long white tresses. – We were who we were supposed to be. Hunters! – she went for him again.

Seeing clearly that she wasn't going to listen to him, he did the only thing he could under the circumstances. He blocked everything out, but the sensation of turning himself into a weapon, No conscience, no feeling, just calm… With two swift kicks, he broke her knees and saw her fall to the ground with blank eyes. But his cold stupor broke to pieces, when he saw the tears fall from her eyes. He kneeled next to her and took her head in his lap.

- Please, little brother… - she sobbed. – Don't let the monsters get me.

Just then the distant sound of helicopters approaching fast caught his attention. It was Hollander. He felt a huge burning lump in his throat, when he realized the gravity of the situation. Her knees were broken, and his head was still throbbing from the charm spell, making him dizzy and weak.

- I … I'm not strong enough now… I can't carry you…

- Please, Yazoo… Don't let them get me… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, little brother… - she cried harder, and her speech broke. – You're Nana's pretty little angel, right? You can make it all better…

He let his head hang low. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, the things he said to Reno before he left… But his sister didn't bring him the necessary calm and warmth to formulate the words. They got lost, like his voice was, 16 years ago, when Nana had his head in her lap, after they took him out of the mako container. He simply couldn't bring himself to speak about how sorry he was, about how much he loved his sister, how he always envied her for being able to cry, and be emotional… But the thoughts faded, when he tried to speak… He growled, exasperated, and took a deep breath. His eyes became dull again, and he said coldly :

- Tell me about the Good place, Nana… - and he stared off between the trees. He simply couldn't look at her right now.

- It's great there… you know – she smiled as her own eyes became distant. – Mother's there, and there is no early morning trai…

Snap. That was all it took. He snapped her neck just like that. And that sound broke him completely. He saw the green sparks flying around him, from where his sister's body was beginning to fade from existence. There was a burning, throbbing pain in his chest that drove him insane, because it could never find an outlet in tears… So he did the only thing he could. He threw his head back and screamed, or more howled at the universe. All that anger, guilt, frustration… It flew on the wings of the night air, and invaded the whole forest, and still resonated in the wind, even after he had gotten up and began to run towards the city…

* * *

Reno was pacing nervously around the living room, when he heard the swoosh of the curtains, as if the night wind had just touched them But he knew better now. So he simply stopped in the middle of the room and waited for the figure to come out of the shadows. Yazoo walked into the faint light of the hallway and stood next to Reno, facing the other direction, as if he was about to just pass him by.

- Nana is dead… I thought you should know… - came that low voice, but the Turk noticed how hollow and pained it sounded. Realization hit him and he gasped.

- I'm very sorry, yo…

- So am I, Turk, so am I… - he was hiding behind his hair again. Never a good sign, the redhead thought. It meant he was shutting the world out again. Reno was pretty sure who had killed Nana, but he couldn't find it in him to bust the remnant's chops about this. Plus the kid looked really broken up over it, in his own way, which meant locking himself inside his head. But not this time.

The Turk turned around and stood in front of the silver-head, and all of a sudden pulled him into a hug. Yazoo's eyes widened in shock, as he felt one of the hands leave his waist to stroke over his back in a soothing manner. The calm was back again… How strange…

- You gonna be alright, yo?

- Ask me again tomorrow, ok? – he said automatically, still a bit surprised.

And just like that, Reno let him go and told him good night and to take care. "How very, very strange", Yazoo thought, when a smile made its way to his lips, without him wishing for it, as he stood on the window sill, right before disappearing into the night.


	7. Inside the remnant's heart

Wow, my first review! Thank you Agatsuma, Ritsuka, hope you grow to like him even more!

_**Inside the remnant's heart**_

This was going to be one of those days. Yazoo simply knew it right away, when he woke up to the sound of loud rap beats coming from the stereo in Chad's room. He knew it, when he stood up and realized, that the bathroom was clearly occupied by the above mentioned Chad who was clearly very busy… singing. Yes sir, it was going to be one of those days that meant Yazoo had to go out of his way and DO something about this. How annoying. So, lazily lifting himself from bed, he let his instincts guide him and felt a little bit of his usual confidence resurface, when he walked over to the stereo and changed the disk. Then he simply walked over to the chair closest to the bathroom and waited smile dancing on his lips, listening to "Secret loser" by Ozzy Osbourne and waited for the inevitable music fight. Any time now…

- DUDE!!! – there it was! Success! Chad opened the bathroom door and stepped out, clearly very annoyed. – How many times have I told you not to mingle with the black man's music!!! Hey!

All of a sudden, he had the bathroom door slammed in his face and blinked confusedly a couple of times, looking from the door, that was now locked, to the chair Yazoo was sitting in, just a second ago, dammit!

- Yeah, and how many times have I told you to not leave openings when you're facing a professional assassin? – came from the inside of the bathroom, just before the water began to run. – Listen to the song, man, it's very educative!

- Ha-ha, very funny, Mr. I'm-so-fucking-tough-and-hot- rocker. You'll get it one day, Real Chad tells you, man… You are so gonna get it!

Yazoo wasn't listening anymore, however, as his now ready bathtub drew him in completely and let him forget and ease the worrisome thoughts away. He wasn't good with worry. He wasn't good with sadness, either. Actually, he was pretty sure he wasn't good with emotions as a whole. Surely, that was the whole idea of his design – after all, who'd want an assassin with a conscience and a sympathetic heart. Once in the outside world, however, he had begun to fight this conditioning of his, as he cleverly realized that it would make him stand out from the rest of the population. Rational reasons aside, however, there was an urge inside of him, to break the chains of numbness and apathy that those bastards at Deepground had put him in, not simply to fit in, but to know what it feels like… to really feel. Back in Nibelheim, Nana and Loz where his role models in this area. They were the ones that created that little voice in the back of Yazoo's head that told him that there was more to life than shooting people, and there were other ways to get your rocks off than to beat the living shit out of somebody. But Loz wasn't around now, and Nana was gone…

However, all curses are in their own way… a gift. And on some occasions, Yazoo had learnt to just go with his completely non-dramatic nature, in order to save himself from too much trouble and occasionally from a broken heart. In the case of his sister, he did exactly that. He rationalized, reasoned and that actually saved him from going insane. To him, his sister was gone long before he snapped her neck in the forest. She was trapped inside her sick mind, and needed to be freed from it. In that aspect, Yazoo did indeed turn out to be her angel. The young remnant really hoped that his sister was now in her beloved Good place, perhaps even with Mother, who knows? But for his own good he decided he should leave it at that and move on.

- OH HOLLY FUCKING SHIT!!! – the young remnants thoughts were brusquely interrupted by Real Chad's scream. – Yaz, do you know what time it is, dude? That bitch's gonna fucking castrate us!

Oh, yeah. Since Reno came to the Delivery Service station, Yuffie called Cloud and they both decided it would be best for Yazoo and Chad if they left the old Seventh Haven. The remnant couldn't care less, actually in a way this was a good turn-out for him. This meant he wasn't under the constant scrutinizing and over the shoulder peeping from the young ninja princess. Therefore, he simply overlooked to tell both Yuffie and Chad about his recent recruitment as the Turks' henchman. So he found this little abandoned top-floor suite in one of the less-damaged buildings. It was pretty good, spacious enough and Yazoo fixed the elevator, so that he could take his beloved Shadow Queen motorcycle up with him. But the problem was that their building was almost at the other end of the city from their workplace. But it was too early in the morning for Yazoo to worry, and seeing as the whole point of the bath was to stop him from worrying, he just yelled through the bathroom door:

- You go ahead, man, I need to dry my hair.

- Dude!!! How am I supposed to save your balls when you don't cooperate?

- I trust in your extraordinary acting skills, Chad. Now go out there and make me proud, soldier!

He heard the front door close, and sighed, slipping into the now cooling water up to his chin. Yup, it was going to be one of those days, alright. Maybe after it was over, Yazoo thought with a smile, he could go out with his machine for a night-drive. That always relaxed him a lot. He stood up from the bath with another sigh and began not too quickly to prepare himself for work.

* * *

- Well, well, well, if it isn't prince charming, who generously decided to show up and grace us with his presence!

Yazoo blinked and looked down to see one very pissed Yuffie, glaring up at him.

- So now that you are finally here in all your glory, - she continued fuming at him, – perhaps you could shed some light onto the reason for your lateness? Because up until now I have heard over a dozen stories, and if they are all true, my condolences for your mother's death, I am sorry you have lung cancer, oh and my current favorite – you were stopped at a sector check-point and taken to the police station on suspicion of practicing witchcraft! Now would you like to further insult my intelligence?

- I overslept, sorry I'm late. – Yazoo said with a shrug and a mildly amused face and passed the now jumping ninja princess by.

He walked over to the modified bar/ office and began collecting his packages for the day.

- You are up to something no good aren't you? – Yuffie said behind his back, while lifting herself on her toes to try and see over the tall remnant's shoulder.

- Oh, you totally got me, boss, - he said with just a tinge of exasperation in his voice, - I was just about to diabolically and despicably abduct these here defenseless packages and _take them to their rightful owners. _I am that evil, you know. – he concluded, tilting his head at her. He knew that annoyed her to end, because even though that was not his intention, rather his usual pose, she took it as a silent mockery of her shortness.

- Just you wait one second re… mister! – she shouted after him. – I am coming with you today!

She just received another shrug and that annoying head-tilting and saw the young man return to the bar and come back with another large pile of packages.

- Woah, what are you doing?

- Well, I am going to work hard, because you see, the boss is checking on me today, and I gotta keep my job, you know how it goes. – he said in a hushed conspiratorial voice, dripping with irony.

- GRRRR!!! I am so coming with you, even if it wastes my whole day!

Yazoo just shrugged a third time but this time at Chad who waved around his hands in apology – obviously the witchcraft gig was his idea. The remnant just smiled and gave his friend a wink, saying it was ok. Besides, he really felt like working today, just to take his mind off of things. And for once Yuffie's constant babbling could be of some use.

* * *

"And finally there it is! My moment, after a whole day's worth of snappy remarks and constant surveillance from the jumping Wutaian bean. I'm out in the cool night air, riding my beloved queen on the quiet and empty streets of Edge.

Sometimes I think to myself: "Hey you pathetic human bastards, stop sleeping your lives away!" After all, the night is the best time of the whole day.

And I for one am not going to waste it snoozing off in my bed. So I speed up again…

* * *

The cool night air felt so good, as he sped up, that he almost didn't notice the stop sign that a cop was waving in front of him. The police was a relatively new thing in Edge, but already the cops where learning how to be another great pain in the ass. Therefore, tired of such pains, Yazoo decided to just stop and be done with it as soon as he could.

- Is there a problem, officer? – he asked, immediately hiding his annoyance behind a fake charming smile.

- Of course there is a problem! Your tail lights are broken! – the man barked at him and walked behind the motorcycle.

- Whatever do you mean, sir, my tail lights are perfectly…

SMASH! Yazoo was interrupted by the sound of the cop's stick breaking the glass of the tail lights.

- Like I said, tail lights are broken… - when the policeman saw Yazoo jump off the motorcycle, obviously in a blood-thirsty mood, he continued, very annoyingly unfazed. – Yes, I was going to ask you to do that. Carl, come over here and take this cycle to the yard.

- What? – Yazoo was desperately fighting the urge to try out his new guns on this idiot's head, while trying to remember, that should he go all remnant evil on the guy, his whole cover would go to waste.

- Oh, yes we are taking this beauty to the penitential parking. Should you want to have her back, you can do so tomorrow, at the address on the act I'm writing to you now. Of course, you will have to pay a fee. – the policeman said, again completely unfazed, as he delivered a small piece of paper to Yazoo, who was wearing a murderous look once more, but now with a hint of resignation.

- Hey, come on now, - he said, trying his best to summon some of his Allure, despite the fact that he would much rather gut the guy with a spoon, than to charm him. – How's a guy supposed to go home at this time of night? I live far away you know…

- Oh, so you're a guy, huh? Never would've guessed, but thanks for clearing up any suspicions on that matter.

- Don't worry, sweetheart, - the one named Carl threw in some more wood to the fire, - I'll escort you home so no bad men can do you any harm. – both stupid coppers went into a laughing fit.

Yazoo just huffed, very annoyed now, and turned on his heels to go, trying to ignore the "witty" remarks the bastard cops where still throwing behind his back.

* * *

- Oh, come on, man, drop the long face, you're breaking Real Chaddy's heart like that, - the huge man said, while patting Yazoo's slender back with his big paw. – Ya could always buy ya'self another motorcycle, something second hand maybe…

- I don't want another motorcycle, dude… - the young black-haired man sighed, his shoulders slumping a bit. – My Shadow Queen was like an extension to my soul, if I possess such a thing…

- Yeah, but something must be done, man… I mean… you don't have that kind of money to pay that gynormous fee…

- Something must be done alright… - Yazoo echoed, eyes growing distant for a moment, and then suddenly lighting up. – Oh yeah…

* * *

Yazoo was moving stealthily, using to a full extent his feline genes in order not to make a noise, while creeping into the penitential parking lot. While he was rummaging through the paperwork in order to remove all signs of his motorcycle being in this place, his heightened hearing sensed some movement behind his back. Without giving it a second thought, the remnant turned around and jumped against the other intruder, who in turn ended up flat on his back on the floor, with Yazoo sitting in his lap, and wrapping his long fingers around the neck of the other guy. The other guy however, pulled out an electric rod that flashed and after that spark, two gasps could be heard from the two men, as recognition hit them:

- Reno?

- Yazoo?! What the hell are you doin' here, yo? – they looked at each other for a while, until the redhead spoke again. – You feeling comfortable like that again, sweetheart, or do you plan to move so I can stand up?

Yazoo bolted immediately upright, and let Reno stand up and dust off his clothes, all the while hiding a faint blush behind his black tresses, even though it was dark, and the redhead would have never noticed.

- So, you up to something no good, huh? – the redhead grinned, and somehow, the remnant felt a warmth wash through him, instead of the normal annoyance, from hearing that line twice today.

- Just taking back what belongs to me… - Yazoo said, head tilted in the other direction, not facing the Turk.

- Well then, we're in this together, yo! – the redhead let out a small laugh and shifted, so that he could face the remnant, even though he wasn't seeing him well. To the suspiciously lifted eyebrow he received from the other guy, Reno continued. – You know, I heard that some coppers where a pain in your pretty little ass, taking your motorcycle and shit… So I decided to play the cowboy again…

- Oh? Is that so? – Yazoo felt like returning a bit of the teasing to the redhead for good measure. – My stalker is my guardian angel – lucky me! – he winked at Reno, but then returned his serious composure, once again mentally kicking himself for being so strangely giddy around the Turk. – Alright, so you're in… Don't get in my way, and don't make a noise, babbling Turk…We're doing this my way!

Reno swallowed his snappy remark in order to salvage his pride. He was no babbling idiot! Damn that remnant! Who did he think he was? – Amongst other things, those were the thoughts that occupied the redhead's mind, until Yazoo came to a stop in the parking lot, and Reno snapped out of it, just before bumping into the remnant's rear. The slender one was paying no heed however, as he knelt in front of a huge black motorcycle and placed his hand on the front wheel, as if preparing to pledge servitude to a princess:

- Hey, honey, did you miss me? – he said with a loving and silky tone to his voice, that Reno had never before heard from the guy. – Don't worry, baby, I've come to save you!

He then stood and went over to mount the motorcycle and patted one hand to the seat behind him.

- Come on, Turk, we ain't got all night. – Reno felt almost jealous that the tone used for him was cold and harsh, with a tinge of mockery. But then he shook it off and mounted behind Yazoo, wrapping his arms maybe a little too tightly around the other's thin waist.

Yazoo again seemed not to notice the redhead's actions, and revved up the engine. He then turned suddenly to Reno, screaming over the roar of the machine.

- Hey, Turk, head or tails?

- Wha-?

- Come on, just pick one – head or tails?

- Um… Head I guess?

- You know, Turk, - Yazoo turned forward again, almost as if he didn't want the other to hear the rest of the sentence, yet cried out loud – I'm kinda beginning to like you! Woah!

The machine jumped forward so suddenly, Reno worried a bit about breaking the remnant in two. However, having barely overcome the slight uneasiness from the sudden departure, the redhead outright shrieked, when he saw the huge metal fence they were going against with such a speed. However, about a meter or two from the fence, Yazoo hit the breaks so hard, the machine swirled over forward. Reno's ears where ringing from the force of the motion and the wind against his face, as the only sound he could hear, besides the ringing, was the remnant's loud maniacal laughter. They landed finally on the other side of the fence, in front of an old man, who appeared to be the parking lot manager. Yazoo just couldn't help himself, so he forced the engine in front of the bewildered old man and gave out a loud "woah", before disappearing with Reno in the back into the dusty cloud the motorcycle created.

- Head, yo?!? HEAD!!! Fucking hell, man, you're insane!

- Oh yes, I am – the remnant screamed back, a huge grin and a malicious gleam dancing on his face.

* * *

Reno insisted on coming all the way to Yazoo's new apartment, and even though the Turk continued to ramble on about how completely insane the remnant was, it was more or less evident he had too enjoyed the ride. Standing in front of the elevator doors, the redhead smiled and said:

- So that's her majesty, the love of your life, huh?

- You could say that, - Yazoo answered, - however, I do like other things too…

- Oh, really? – before he could stop himself, the redhead babbled out – Are some of the other things human?

- One is… - the remnant replied, gaze still dazed from the drive and adrenaline making him high, while the memory of Reno's hands around him was breaking down his guard.

- You don't say, yo… - Reno looked thoughtful for a moment, before he grinned wide and made a step forward. – So I don't have a chance, huh?

- Why, Turk, you should've noticed by now, that I _do_ like you… - the remnant continued, as if in a trance, staring at the Turk's blue eyes, that were coming closer to his face now.

- Oh yeah? And how'm I supposed to know that, yo?

- Well, you're still alive, aren't you? – Yazoo winked, and then shook his head and pushed the top floor button.

- So that's how it is, huh… - the redhead whistled, when he stepped back from the closing doors and mumbled to himself. – Will see if we can keep that up, sweetheart…


End file.
